Chase & Don's The Great Race
by Chase The Ferroequinologist
Summary: When challenged by his famous brother, the Flying Scotsman, to compete at the Great Railway Show, Gordon decides to get himself streamlined to win at all costs...no matter what harm may come to himself! This is a collaboration between Chase (The Ferroequinologist) and DonaldDouglasandToby6, featuring songs from both the original special and written by us!
1. Scotsman’s Challenge

It was a bright, clear morning on the Island of Sodor. Knapford Station was as busy as usual, with several trains entering and leaving. One train, however, wasn't moving - Gordon the Big Engine sat at the platform, quietly dozing. Suddenly, a familiar whistle blew and he woke with a start.

"Huh?"

"Well, hello, lazybones! Catching on beauty sleep, are we?" Gordon groaned as Thomas pulled into the other platform with a cheeky smirk.

"I happen to be waiting for Philip to bring me my coaches, little Thomas." However, his coaches were still nowhere nearby. He scowled.

"Philip?"

"Just a minute, Gordon!" Philip was hurriedly bringing express coaches from the yard to the station. Thomas chuckled.

"Oh yes, you do end up waiting a lot when you're slow, don't you, Gordon?" Gordon spluttered.

"I'm not slow!" Thomas snorted with laughter. Gordon gritted his teeth and harrumphed loudly.

"I'm an important express engine; I don't have time for this! I'm going to have a go at my speed record today, and I don't need you to distract me!" He smirked proudly, only to be bumped from behind by Philip and the coaches. He glared back at Philip, who smiled sheepishly.\

"Sorry!" Gordon's passengers climbed aboard, and the guard blew his whistle and waved his green flag. The big engine grinned proudly as he began to pull out of the station.

"See you at the end of the day, little Thomas! _Express coming through!_ " With that,

Gordon rolled out onto the junction and towards the main line. Philip rolled alongside Thomas as they watched Gordon leave.

"He's so fast!" Philip gushed. Thomas rolled his eyes.

"Puffed up, too." He remarked, before chuckling.

* * *

Gordon rumbled along the main line, his coaches rattling behind him as his wheels pounded the rails. The wind was in his face and beneath his wheels as he rattled through Edward's station, where Henry was waiting in the platform with a goods train.

"Good morning, Gordon!" The big green engine called, and he whistled back in response. Gordon approached his hill and climbed it furiously, steam erupting from his funnel.

"Not today!" He panted, and finally managed to climb over the top and come speeding down the other side. His driver checked a stopwatch he was holding in the cab, and stuck his out the window, grinning.

"Well done, old boy! The record's almost ours!" Gordon smirked, and he thundered onwards towards Kellsthorpe Road. James was travelling in the other direction with a passenger train, and braked into the platform before noticing Gordon's approach and braking.

"Hello, Gordon! Have you noticed my shiny new paint-PHWOAR!" As Gordon braked to a halt, he slid through a puddle, splashing the red engine with mud. James spat furiously as Gordon ground to a halt, laughing.

"GORDON! I _JUST_ GOT REPAINTED!"

"Cheer up, little James. It's nothing a routine washdown can't fix!" Gordon chuckled as passengers disembarked from his coaches and more boarded. James snorted.

"Easy for _you_ to say! You're not the one covered in mud!" Gordon simply laughed and James scowled. However, an idea flew into his funnel, and the red engine grinned smugly.

"Gordon! You'll never guess who I saw at Vicarstown today!" However, before Gordon could reply, the guard's whistle blew and he started off.

"We'll have to chat later, James; I'm having a go at my record!" James spluttered as Gordon sped out of the station, leaving the mud-covered red engine behind.

"B-but, but...oh, COME ON!"

* * *

Gordon rumbled along the line, his coaches coming easily along behind him. He passed engines pulling trains on other lines. Passenger trains, goods trains, light engine...Gordon outsped them all. The record was sure to be his, and he was getting so close to Vicarstown, the station at the end of the line, and the last on his journey.

"This'll show silly little Thomas that I've still got it," He smirked. As he approached the station, he could see a large crowd of people on the platform, many with cameras. At the center of the crowd was an engine, though Gordon couldn't quite make out who it was.

"Nearly there, Gordon! You're so close!" However, as Gordon drew closer to the station, he suddenly gasped.

" _No!_ Not _him_!" Quickly, Gordon began to slow down, and his driver gasped.

"Gordon! What are you doing? Speed up!" Try as he might, the driver couldn't get him to speed up again, and the big engine sidled quietly into the station, trying not to be noticed. When Gordon finally came to a halt, the driver and fireman stepped out of the cab in shock.

"What's gotten into you, Gordon?" The fireman asked. Gordon hastily tried to shush him, but the driver continued.

"If you hadn't slowed down in the junction, you would have beaten your record! We were so close!" Gordon tried to shush him again, but it was too late. A suave voice rang out over the station that made the big blue engine freeze in his tracks.

"Is that my _little brother_ over there?" Across the station, an engine that looked rather similar to Gordon was being photographed by a lot of people, but they parted like the Red Sea to see what had gotten his attention. Gordon grimaced as he saw the engine's all-too-familiar green paint, smoke deflectors, two tenders, and a nameplate above his splasher that read…

" _Flying Scotsman._ " He hissed under his breath, before groaning loudly at being noticed. Flying Scotsman laughed.

"Now now, Gordon, that's no way to greet your _big brother,_ is it?" The photographers buzzed.

"His brother?"

"His brother?" Gordon, however, scowled at Flying Scotsman.

"What are you doing here?" He snapped, in a way less grand than he normally would. The famous engine smirked widely.

"I was just competing in a good old fashioned race with Spencer here!" To Gordon's surprise, his silver streamlined rival emerged from behind Scotsman, his face red with embarrassment.

"Hey."

"As you may be able to tell...I won." Scotsman chuckled. Gordon groaned even louder.

"Great, racing about on the main line, whoop-de-doo! Probably causing all sorts of delays with your recklessness! I-"

"It was for a good cause, Gordon." Gordon raised an eyebrow as his brother smirked at him.

"What cause would that be, _Scott_?" He snapped. The bigger brother grinned.

"Why, to see who Britain's Great Race competitor would be in this year's Great Railway Show of course!" As the station erupted into cheers, Gordon's stare remained blank. Scotsman raised an eyebrow.

"The Great Railway Show? Where engines compete to see who's the fastest, the strongest, what have you-"

"I KNOW WHAT IT IS!" Gordon snapped. Spencer snorted from behind Scotsman.

"Temper, temper!" He muttered under his breath. Flying Scotsman, however, remained focused on his brother.

"I'm not sure any engines from Sodor will be going...are they, Gordon?" Gordon harrumphed.

"Well, _I'm_ not. Childish racing is beneath me. Have fun with your silly _race_!" He looked away, as if he had made his point. Spencer raised an eyebrow.

"We just raced yesterday…" He muttered.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were afraid to lose!" Gordon stopped dead in his tracks, to look back at his brother's smarmy, smirking face.

"What did you say?" He asked, with bated breath. His driver knew Gordon was getting upset, and pat his side.

"Easy, Gordon. I know you're upset about not beating your record today, but-"

"You couldn't beat your own record, Gordon!" Scotsman laughed, and Spencer joined in, causing the big engine to blush with shame. Flying Scotsman grinned at Gordon.

"Well, Gordon, seeing as the Great Railway Show is right around the corner, I think it'd be great fun if you came! Two brothers, racing side by side! Of course, I'd win, but-"

" _Who says you'd win?_ " Gordon interrupted. Flying Scotsman was surprised at first, but raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"Now that's more like it! Gordon, I expect to see you at the Great Railway Show in one month's time, where you and I shall compete in the Great Race!" The photographers cheered, and even Gordon smirked.

"You're on! I'll win with both buffers tied behind my tender!" To his surprise, Scotsman simply chuckled.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just that...if you can't beat your own record, how can you beat _me?_ " With that, Flying Scotsman's guard's whistle blew, and the big engine began rolling away towards the Mainland, leaving a spluttering Gordon behind.

"Flying Scotsman, coming through!" As Scotsman disappeared from the station, Spencer kept laughing before Gordon shot a sharp glare at him.

"You're at the bottom of this totem pole; you lost to both of us!" The streamlined engine fell silent, leaving Gordon to scowl down the line his brother had travelled.

CHASE & DON'S  
 _THE GREAT RACE_!

* * *

 **Chase:** Welcome to the first collaboration between Don (DonaldDouglasandToby6) and I, a rewrite of _The Great Race._ The canon special is infamously haphazard and kind of poorly structured, so we're excited to bring this hopefully more coherent version of this story to you! Our goal here was to take the same elements that went into the actual special, and, while taking some away and adding more in, to make something good out of it. This special will feature five songs, including an original one, "Good, Better, Best", which you can check out on SoundCloud, as well as modified versions of "Will You, Won't You" and "Streamlining" from the canon special. The characters are different, the story's different, so overall we want you all to view this as both a rewrite of the canon _Great Race,_ and its own story.

 **Don:** Hey! As Chase said, there are a lot of changes in this version compared to the original. Quite a few characters have had their roles expanded here while in the original, they didn't do as much. These include Henry, Stephen, Caitlin and Philip, among others. In fact, Gordon is now the main character instead of Thomas. It's something we both would have liked to see and hope we can capture. Some of what was in the original story was also taken out, such as Diesel's subplot because frankly, there wasn't much point in it to begin with. Thomas' role is heavily downgraded, though not gone completely, so we'll still see him pop up now and again. Ashima's role is also decreased, as she doesn't have anyone to act as life coach to. So which other international engine will be getting the focus? Well, you'll just have to want and see on that one.

Excited for this project to get under way! Come back soon to see the next chapter, where the engines ask an age-old question: _Who Will Go to the Show?_


	2. Who Will Go to the Show?

Word of the Great Railway Show spread across Sodor like wildfire. The Fat Controller was making the arrangements necessary to send a few of his engines to the show to compete on behalf of the Island of Sodor. The trouble was...no one knew who was going! As the Fat Controller worked in his office, Duck stood outside, watching with anticipation.

" _I_ _t's gonna be special!_

 _It's gonna be great!_

 _Off to the Mainland without coaches or freight!_ " He sang, and soon enough, Oliver, Sidney, and Ryan rolled alongside him to try and call through the window.

" _Please sir!_ "

" _I beg you!_ "

" _I just have to know!_ " The Fat Controller stepped out of his office and was surprised to be bombarded by all four engines singing at once.

" _Will you won't you take me to the Railway Show?_ " He scowled at the four engines.

"We have a railway to run! I will tell you who I am sending when I have _decided_ who I am sending!"

"Yes, sir…" The four engines rolled away, but the Fat Controller was surprised to hear a whistle as Henry bustled into the station, pulling a long heavy goods train, and visibly struggling, but smiling nonetheless as he sang.

" _Take me, Sir!_

 _I pull the heaviest trains!_

 _I'm such a mighty engine, Sir,_

 _It's never a strain!_ " Henry groaned as he tried to shift the heavy trucks out of the station, but a laugh suddenly rang out and James rushed into the station alongside him, freshly washed and smirking.

" _It's not a tough decision, though I'll have no complaint_

 _if you don't decide to send me to preserve my red paint!_ " To James's surprise, the Fat Controller tapped his chin in thought and wrote something down on his clipboard.

"Mmm...precisely!" The red engine's eyes widened and he spluttered.

"Well, urm, I didn't mean not to take me, sir!" However, before James could continue, he heard a laugh as Philip raced in where the last of Henry's trucks had been, beaming eagerly.

"Haha!

 _I know I'm kinda small, Sir,_

 _but I'm not a beginner._

 _I had a race with Gordon once,_

 _and I was the winner!_ " James rolled his eyes at Philip's familiar anecdote, before some stone trucks came surging into the station, ramming Philip out of the way and covering James' paintwork with dust.

"AHHHH!" Philip screamed as he disappeared from the station.

"Mind my paintwork!" James snapped to the engine pushing the trucks, who was revealed to be Thomas. The Fat Controller raised an eyebrow as Thomas grinned at him.

" _You ought to pick me, Sir,_

 _I am your number one!_

 _I can shunt trucks most easily,_

 _I can shift any tonne!_ " To Thomas' surprise, the Fat Controller had turned on his heels and gotten into Winston, driving away in a desperate attempt to escape requests to go to the show.

* * *

However, no matter where the Fat Controller went, there were always engines talking about the Great Railway Show:

" _It's gonna be special_

 _It's gonna be great_

 _Off to the Mainland without coaches or freight!_ " Toby, Mavis, and Rosie sang at the Ffarquhar Quarry, and the Fat Controller reversed away in Winston as fast as possible. The Shunting Yards weren't much help in this regard either.

" _Please Sir, I beg you,_

 _you can't tell me no!_ " Stanley, Charlie, and Stafford harmonized together in the Shunting Yards. The Fat Controller tried to reverse, but Winston was stopped by Philip again.

"Ouch!" The inspection car yelped. The boxcab grinned buffer to buffer as he looked at the Fat Controller.

" _Will you won't you take me to the Railway Show?_ Hey, I-" The Fat Controller had already sped away from him, but was cut off by Diesel and Daisy up ahead.

" _New engines!_ "

" _Long engines!_ " Emily and Edward joined in at Wellsworth.

" _Tough engines!_ " Percy and Paxton added at Knapford Harbour.

" _Strong engines!_ " 'Arry and Bert chorused at the Ironworks; the Fat Controller couldn't catch a break!

" _Everyone who's any engine's eager to go!_ " Salty, Porter, Bill, and Ben sang up at the Fat Controller as Cranky held him and Winston in the air. The Fat Controller looked at Cranky, who simply rolled his eyes.

" _I'm_ not goin' anywhere." He released the slack in his cable.

"AHHHH!" The Fat Controller and Winston screamed as they descended. They found no further luck at the dump.

" _Will you won't you take us to the Railway Show?_ " Harvey gestured to a sculpture made out of scrap metal sitting on the line between them, spelling the words "SHOW PLEASE?", while Samson, Whiff, and Scruff grinned eagerly. The Fat Controller promptly slammed his head into Winston's dashboard. However, he gasped in horror as he found himself and Winston being pushed along the line by Norman.

" _It's gonna be special, it's gonna be great!_ " He sang, as Donald and Douglas rolled alongside.

" _Leavin' behind all our coaches and freight!_

 _Please Sir, we're beggin';_

 _Ya just can't say no!_ " The three engines whipped the Fat Controller and Winston back towards the Shunting Yards, where everyone was staring at him. Thomas, Henry, and James were straight ahead, and sang first.

" _Will you won't you take us to the Railway Show?_ "

" _Will you won't you take us to the Railway Show?_ " The other engines chorused. Well, all except one…

" _Will you won't you take me to the...Railway Show…_ " Philip crooned, stopping and slowly petering out when he realized that the others were laughing at him. He blushed in shame and looked at his buffers. The Fat Controller loudly cleared his throat, catching the engines' attention.

"I have not decided who I'm taking yet, but if this keeps up, then _none_ of you are going! All of you get back to work at once!" The engines looked at each other in embarrassment and slowly started to leave. At last, The Fat Controller had some peace and quiet. Winston rolled away, leaving an upset Philip behind.

* * *

Soon, the engines were all back at work, including Philip. As he shunted about the yard, he saw the other engines still excitedly talking about the Great Railway Show. Philip sighed sadly, rolling alongside James and Henry.

"I wish I could go to the Great Railway Show…" James and Henry looked at each other.

" _You_? Go to the show?" James laughed, "You're just a tiny little boxcab! How can _you_ possibly compete?"

"I can do it!" Philip protested, starting to push his heavy trucks forward. His cheeks turned red from the exertion. "See, see?" he grinned giddily, reversing back beside them, "I'm very strong, and fast too! I even beat Gordon in a race-"

"We know," James cut in, rolling his eyes.

"Oh…" Henry glared at James before speaking.

"There's no use even trying to get the racing spot, Philip. Everyone knows Gordon's going to get it, so most of us didn't even bother. Whoever the Fat Controller decides, they'll be going with Gordon." James smirked.

"And _me!_ " Henry raised an eyebrow.

"I recall Emily being a pretty high contender for the Best in Show representative too, James." The red engine pouted. Suddenly, the engines heard a whistle, and Gordon rolled into the yard, frowning. James looked to Henry and smirked.

"Here comes the sourpuss parade!" He snarked. Gordon rolled towards the water tower, his scowl remaining on his face, and gently rolled to a stop. Henry, James, and Philip watched him with interest, before Philip looked at Henry.

"Why is he in such a bad mood? He's for _sure_ going to the Great Railway Show!" The boxcab whispered. Henry and James shared a glance before the bigger engine spoke.

"He's competing against his brother…"

"Oh. I guess I would be pretty upset if I had to compete against one of my brothers or sisters too. I-"

"No, Philip. Gordon's brother is _The Flying Scotsman._ " James hissed. Philip gasped.

" _GORDON'S BROTHER IS THE_ _ **FLYING SCOTSMAN!?**_ " Henry and James tried to shush Philip, but the entire yard heard him. Gordon groaned and rolled his eyes from the water tower.

"The _famous_ Flying Scotsman? Wow! I never knew that! He never mentioned it bef-"

"Gordon and his brother aren't on the...best of terms." Henry quickly interrupted. Philip raised an eyebrow.

"Why not?" James snorted.

"Doesn't like being one-upped I expect. Scotsman's faster, bigger, and stronger than him, and lords it over him all the time. He's only competing in the show because Scotsman challenged him." Philip thought for a moment.

"Well, maybe he needs some cheering up! I'll go talk to him!" Before Henry or James could do anything, the little boxcab dashed away towards Gordon. The big engine groaned as Philip sidled alongside.

"Hiya, Gordon!"

"Ugh."

"You seem pretty down, having to compete with your _famous brother, the Flying Scotsman,_ and all-" Philip stopped his gushing when Gordon cleared his throat, his teeth gritted in bottled up rage.

" _Not helping, Philip._ " Philip blushed, before speaking again.

"Anyways, Gordon, I think that you can beat him if you put your mind to it! You can do _anything_ that way! Willpower, driver calls it! And-"

"Philip, may you _please_ fetch my coaches?" Philip stopped again to see a still annoyed, but significantly more somber Gordon. He looked away.

"Oh, yes. Right away, Gordon." He honked his horn and rolled away, as Gordon sat at the water tower, brooding, remembering Scotsman's taunting words from earlier that day.

" _If you can't beat your own record, how can you beat me?_ " Gordon looked to his coaches, which Philip was shunting away to be taken to the platform, and gained a determined expression.

"I'll beat my record, and then I'll beat _you_!" Quickly, he rumbled away towards the platform, preparing for yet another go at his speed record.

* * *

 **Chase:** Here's Chapter 2, complete with a modified "Will You, Won't You"! As probably my personal favorite song in the canon special, the whole sequence was a blast to rewrite and re-assign characters to, making the combinations that pop up make more sense. Plus, characters who didn't get a line in the actual song such as Ryan, Rosie, Toby, and Mavis get a shot to appear where they didn't in the special proper, as well as setting up the major characters who aren't Gordon. Philip's main plot, as you may have guessed, is his desire to go to the Railway Show, but we're handling it in a different way than the actual special did...how are we doing this? Find out next chapter!

 **Don:** In terms of changes from the original, "Will You Won't You" is far more comedic as it's The Fat Controller trying to escape from his engines begging him to be put in the show. It was a lot of fun to visualize, but the major change is, as previously mentioned, Philip's expanded role. In the original, he was simply there because... uh... the team liked Philip, I guess. But in this version, he's a main character, essentially taking over Thomas' role as the engine who really wants to go.

How will Philip wanting to go to the show, and Gordon's attempts to break his speed record again, go forward? Find out in the third chapter: _New Arrivals, Shooting Stars!_


	3. New Arrivals, Shooting Stars

As Gordon tore out of the station, Philip returned to the yard to shunt more trucks. Suddenly, however, he heard a voice.

"Philip! I need to speak to you!" The boxcab was surprised to see the Fat Controller walking towards him, holding a clipboard. Philip gasped.

" _He's going to tell me that I'm competing in the Great Railway Show!_ " He squeaked delightedly. A wide grin spread across his face as the Fat Controller approached.

"Philip, I need you-"

"Yes, sir! I'd be _delighted_ to go to the Great Railway Show! Thank you for asking, sir! What event am I competing in? Shunting? Strength? _The Great Race?_ I'd even be happy with the Best in Show Parade, sir! I just really want to-"

"Philip, this isn't about the show!" Philip's face fell as the Fat Controller looked at him with a stern expression.

"Oh...sorry, sir." He chuckled sheepishly. The Fat Controller sighed.

"I need you to collect some trucks from Brendam Docks and bring them back here. It's an easy job, so don't get distracted, alright?" Philip smiled, but he still looked sad.

"Yes, sir." He honked his horn, and rolled away towards the Docks.

* * *

Philip soon enough arrived at the Docks, where Salty and Porter were hard at work shunting trucks. The dockside diesel saw him first, and grinned.

"Ahoy, Philip!" To his surprise, Philip didn't smile.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, rolling alongside. Philip sighed, before smiling sadly.

"Don't worry, Salty, it's nothing...what's going on here with you?" He asked. Salty thought for a moment.

"Well, Philip, it's a pretty ordinary day here. We seen anything unusual, Cranky?" He called up to the crane, who was unloading a ship. Cranky rolled his eyes.

"Nothing but ships, ships, and more ships." He grunted, before returning to his work. Salty chuckled and looked back to Philip.

"Like I said, pretty ordinary!" However, as Porter rolled nearby the two diesels while shunting some trucks, a ship's horn sounded out. Porter raised an eyebrow as he braked to a halt.

"That's funny…" He muttered.

"What's funny?" Philip asked.

"There isn't another ship due in for an hour!" Porter replied. Salty looked towards the ferry dock curiously.

"So what's one doing here?" He asked. Suddenly, a ship pulled into the ferry dock, and slowly lowered its gates. As all present watched curiously, a voice with an Indian accent suddenly rang out.

"We're here!" To the shock of Philip, Salty, Porter, and Cranky, engines of all shapes, sizes and colors began to pile off the boat, chattering to each other.

"Finally! A chance to stretch my wheels!"

"Stretch your wheels? I'm ze one pulling your weight, _Etienne!_ "

"Well, _Axel,_ zat is only because I don't have my catenary, no?"

"MAKE WAY FOR A ROYAL ENGINE!"

"Shove it in your funnel, _Rajiv!_ "

"Why can't you all be positive? We're here, innit?"

"Here to _win,_ dear Shane! Brazil shall be the shunting champions again!" Philip watched, mesmerized as the multicolor parade of international engines rolled by. His eyes widened with realization and he gasped.

"They must be from-"

"Hold it! Stop! Stop!" The Dock Manager called out, and the sound of screeching brakes echoed throughout the docks. Cranky groaned and tried to turn away.

"My _proverbial ears!_ " As soon as the whole cavalcade had stopped, the Dock Manager marched over to the engine at the head of the cavalcade. She was painted more colors than Philip had ever seen on an engine, and her tanks, dome, and cylinders were all covered with designs.

"Just who are all of you, and where do you think you're going?" The multicolored engine smiled warmly.

"Well, I'm Ashima, and this is-"

"He doesn't have _time_ for all the names!" A large, menacing tender engine snarked from behind her. Ashima winced, before speaking.

"Well, we're here for the Great Railway Show!" Philip gasped and began to giddily chuckle to himself.

"I knew it! I _knew_ it!" He giggled delightedly like a child on Christmas. The Dock Manager, however, checked his clipboard and frowned.

"The Great Railway Show's not here! You've gotten off in the wrong harbour!" Ashima blushed in embarrassment.

"Oh, yes...sorry. Everybody back up!" She called, and the cavalcade began reversing onto the ferry. To Salty's surprise, Philip shot off like a rocket and smack-dab into the middle of the group of international engines.

"Philip! Come back here!" The boxcab was already in the middle of the engines, chattering excitedly.

"Hi! I'm Philip! I want to compete, just like you!" He chattered excitedly to the Brazilian engine in front of him, who simply rolled his eyes.

"Stay out of the way, _criança._ " Philip honked and he switched lines. As a result of this, a large blue tender engine slammed on her brakes at Philip crossing her path.

" _Vatch it!_ " She snapped in a thick German accent. The other engines began slamming their brakes on too, as Philip tried to whip in and out of the order to try and ask questions.

"How do you get to compete?"

"Look out!"

"I want to be a part of the show with you!"

" _Move!_ " Finally, as Philip approached the ferry, he suddenly felt a force against his rear buffers and gasped.

"WHOA!" As the other engines piled onto the ferry around him, Philip tried desperately to brake. An angered voice spoke harshly.

" _Get outta my way, shrimp!_ " Philip looked desperately around for a set of points, but they were too close to the boat. The other engines had piled on by now, and the boat's gate had began to go up. A female voice with an Italian accent was the last thing Philip heard before the boat began to pull away from the dock.

"Is-a somebody missing?" Philip began to hang over the edge of the ferry dock, and he screeched in horror.

" _Stop! Stop!_ I'm going to fall!" He cried. Finally, the force behind him stopped, and Philip was able to finally reverse, taking a deep breath before letting out a sigh of relief as he rolled around the engine who had been pushing him.

"That was close! Sorry about that, mister...mister…" Philip began to cower as he noticed the other engine's appearance. He was bigger than any engine Philip had ever seen, with eight massive driving wheels. He was painted navy blue and grey, and had handrails covering his face that looked like a mask. His teeth were gritted and his face was red with anger. Philip chuckled sheepishly.

" _Sorry!_ " He squeaked. The other engine roared in anger.

"You _idiot!_ First we got off in da wrong place, and now I've missed da boat! I'm gonna make ya into scrap, ya little twerp!" Philip screamed as the large engine began to advance on him, chasing him through the shipping company building.

"I didn't mean to! I didn't mean to!" The boxcab cried hastily. The larger engine growled, but was suddenly stopped by a crate slamming down onto the line in front of him. He looked up at Cranky, who was the one who had dropped the crate.

"Calm down, you freak! It was an accident!" The crane snapped. The big engine growled.

"Don't care!" He backed up before smashing through the crate, sending fish flying everywhere. Philip shut his eyes tightly in horror as the bully advanced on him, but the Dock Manager stepped in.

"What is the meaning of this?" He demanded angrily. The big engine snarled and took deep breaths in and out, starting to calm down from having destroyed the crate.

"This little shrimp blocked me from gettin' back on da ship, and now I'm stuck here! I have a railway show to go to, but first I'm gonna mash dat little twerp into _pulp_!" The Dock Manager frowned as Philip squeaked in fear.

"Well, that's no reason to be violent! I can call the Fat Controller and have him try to get you where you need to be, so calm down! What's your name?" The big engine rolled his eyes.

"Vinnie. Vinnie of Canada." He grunted. Philip let out a sigh of relief as the Dock Manager spoke to Vinnie.

"Well, _Vinnie,_ I'll see what I can do." He walked away, leaving the large Canadian engine to brood. Philip hesitantly approached the larger engine, ashamed.

"I'm sorry for causing so much trouble, Vinnie-"

"That's ' _sir'_ to you, shrimp!" He snapped. Philip winced, shaking with fear.

"Sorry, sir. If there's anything I can do to help you, just l-let me know." Vinnie thought for a moment, before smirking.

"Yeah. _Get lost, kid._ " Philip yelped, and high-tailed it out of the Docks. Salty rolled alongside Vinnie as the boxcab disappeared.

"Wait, PHILIP! You forgot your trucks!" He called, but the little engine had already disappeared. He looked at Vinnie sternly and was about to say something, but the big engine simply raised an eyebrow.

"You trying t'say somethin'?" He snapped. Salty hesitated, before simply backing away. The Dock Manager soon stepped out of his office.

"The Fat Controller will meet you at Knapford, Vinnie, and we'll hopefully get this mess sorted out." Vinnie smirked.

" _Hopefully for you._ " He muttered under his breath, and began to leave the Docks. However, he heard a whistle and braked again.

"Ugh, _what?_ " He snapped. Porter hesitantly rolled alongside, pulling Philip's trucks.

"Um, Vinnie, do you mind if we give you these trucks to take to Knapford too? Seeing as Philip has, um...disappeared." Vinnie raised an eyebrow before looking at Philip's trucks and laughing.

"That? Yeah, sure. Might as well ask me to carry a paperweight!" Porter let out a sigh of relief, and began laughing along, but Vinnie shot a sharp glare at him.

"Whadda you laughin' at, camel?" Porter promptly shut up and rolled away as fast as possible. Vinnie coupled up to Philip's trucks and headed on his way. It was effortless to him. Cranky watched him leave suspiciously.

"Some ordinary day this is." He grunted.

* * *

Philip was so terrified that he ran all the way to Knapford without stopping. He scurried over the junction, unknowingly cutting off Percy and some milk tankers.

"Watch out, Philip!" Percy cried, screeching to a halt, but Philip didn't hear as he had already left. Henry was relaxing while taking on water when Philip entered the yard, still screaming.

"Philip? What's wrong?" Henry asked with concern. Philip finally stopped to catch his breath, hiding behind the big green engine.

"Henrythere'sabigscaryengineontheislandandhewantstomashmeintopulpandhe'scominganysecondnowand- AAH!" Philip cowered behind Henry, who raised an eyebrow as a loud, unfamiliar whistle blew. The ballast started to shake as Vinnie came into view with a scowl. Henry frowned.

"Oh." Vinnie pulled into the station, where The Fat Controller was waiting on the platform.

"So _you're_ Vinnie." Vinnie's scowl remained.

"Yeah."

"The Dock Manager has told me about your... _situation_." The Fat Controller took out his clipboard and tapped his pen on it. "I know you need to get to the Mainland, but right now it's too close to the show to get you there before the day of. However," he continued, seeing that Vinnie's eye was twitching, "in the meantime, I can give you work here so you have something to do." Vinnie gnashed his teeth.

"So now I've gotta work on ya railway just because one of ya shrimps got in my way?"

"That 'shrimp' is one of my engines, and I will not tolerate insults or threats towards him. If you are to work on my railway, Vinnie, you must be respectful to others. Do you understand?" Vinnie rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah." He huffed, not sounding like he meant it. The Fat Controller narrowed his eyes. He scanned the station, and saw Henry on the other side.

"Ah, yes. You said you were competing in the strength competition at the Great Railway Show, correct?" Vinnie raised an eyebrow.

"What of it?"

"Henry, could you come over here please?" The Fat Controller called. Henry, looking to the terrified Philip on the other side of him, pretended not to hear. The Fat Controller raised an eyebrow.

"Henry!" Henry grimaced before looking back to Philip and mouthing "sorry" as he moved towards the other side of the station. Philip squeaked and followed on. Henry soon enough entered the platform opposite Vinnie, with Philip behind him. The Fat Controller beamed.

"Vinnie, this is Henry, Sodor's representative in the strength competition. He'll teach you everything you need to know about working here, seeing as it is quite different to working in Canada! Work well!" The Fat Controller then turned on his heels and left. Vinnie rolled his eyes and began grumbling to himself.

"I'll teach _you_ everythin' ya need t'know, Fat Hatt…" Philip, however, wasn't focused on Vinnie. He was just looking at Henry with admiration.

"You're competing in the strength competition, Henry? That's amazing!" Henry blushed.

"Well, I didn't want to make a big deal out of it." He chuckled, but he was interrupted by Vinnie cackling.

"Wait, he was being _serious? You?_ " He laughed hysterically. Henry frowned.

"I pull the heaviest trains on Sodor!" The green engine protested, but Vinnie simply kept laughing.

"Listen, pal, I hate t'break this to ya, but you're a teeny tiny fish in a _big_ pond. Just based on size alone, ya don't stand a chance!" Henry rolled his eyes, but the barbs were clearly getting to him.

"We have more important things to focus on than the show right now; I have to teach you what to do." Vinnie scoffed.

"Puh- _lease._ I know what t'do already, okay? Cars are cars are cars; that don't change."

"Well, first of all, we call them _trucks_ here." Philip giggled with laughter at this, but Vinnie backed up to be at level with him.

"We still ain't even, _shrimp._ " The boxcab stopped laughing and gulped. Vinnie smirked wickedly as he passed Henry on his way out of the station.

"Wish I could say 'nice to meet ya', but it'll be even nicer to _beat ya_...because I'm gonna win." Henry watched the Canadian engine leave the station with fury, while Philip remained cowering in fear behind him.

* * *

Gordon tore along the Main Line furiously, his coaches rattling behind him. He was approaching his top speed, but his driver was concerned.

"Steady, Gordon!" Gordon snorted.

"I've gone this fast hundreds of times! What's the concern?"

"We have to keep you in good order for the Great Railway Show, and if we keep this speed up you could burst your safety valve!" Gordon rolled his eyes.

"Stupid safety valve...who needs it? It just keeps me from going at full speed!" He muttered.

"Well, without it, Gordon, your boiler would explode at speeds _way_ slower than this, so I'd be thankful if I were you!" The big engine simply scowled, and kept up his speed. However, he suddenly heard a whistle, and two familiar streamlined engines rocketed past.

"Hi, Gordon! Bye, Gordon!" Connor called as he sped by. Caitlin followed suit and whistled loudly.

"See you at Kellsthorpe, Gordon!" She cheered. Gordon's jaw dropped and he began to slow down.

"B-but, b-but...I'm going at top speed!" He spluttered, before frowning and beginning to grumble as his pace evened out.

"Oh, the shame of it! The shame of it!"

* * *

He grumbled all the way to the next station, where, sure enough, Connor and Caitlin were waiting with their passengers. The two were excitedly chatting to one another.

"I won this time!" Connor boasted happily, but Caitlin simply rolled her eyes and chuckled.

"Don't get too cocky, Connor; I was _this_ close to beating you!" The two laughed. Gordon rolled his eyes. Connor stopped laughing first, and smirked before speaking again.

"You know what, Caitlin? I think that I've been going _so_ fast that I could end up going to the Great Railway Show!" Caitlin raised an eyebrow.

"Well, if you could go, I could go too! I'm just as fast...if not faster!" She smirked right back. The two engines grinned at each other.

"So, it's a bet then, eh?" Connor chuckled.

"You're on!" Caitlin replied.

"Great. _More competition._ " Gordon grunted. Caitlin, who was closest to him, raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, hey, Gordon! Didn't see you come in!" She remarked. Connor grinned cheekily at the express engine.

"He probably didn't see _us_ pass; we were going so much faster! If _he_ can go to the Great Railway Show, one of us can surely make it!" Gordon scowled.

"I'm just as fast as either of you! I was just...making sure I didn't damage my safety valve, that's all." Caitlin chuckled.

"Gordon, you know that we're faster; just admit it! It's a fact!" The big engine was beginning to get frustrated.

"And _why_ is that?" He snapped. Caitlin chuckled.

"Well, we're streamlined, for starters; a streamlined engine is simply faster than one who isn't, that's all!"

"Any engine who's streamlined probably has a pretty great chance of winning the Great Race." Connor added. Gordon normally would have lashed out, but instead paused, and began to think.

" _A streamlined engine is simply faster than one who isn't, that's all!_ "

" _Any engine who's streamlined probably has a pretty great chance of winning the Great Race._ "

"Hmm…"

"Gordon? Gordon?" Caitlin tried to get the big engine's attention, but he was too deep in thought. She looked to Connor.

"Fancy another race, Connor?"

"You're on!" The guard's whistle blew, and the two streamlined engines raced away, leaving Gordon behind to think.

* * *

Gordon was soon on his way back to Knapford with another express, and was still thinking about what Connor and Caitlin had said.

"Maybe...hmm…" He muttered to himself as he braked into the platform. However, his train of thought was disrupted when a loud whistle rang out and James waltzed into the station, beaming with pride.

" _Hello, everyone!_ I'm off to get a new coat of paint!" No one responded. James didn't appear to notice and continued anyway.

"Why, you may ask? Well, it's because _I'm_ going to be Sodor's representative in the Best in Show parade! The Fat Controller just told me! I'm going to blow the rest of the competition sky-high!" He laughed as the rest of the station continued to ignore him. Eventually, he noticed and scowled.

"Why is nobody paying attention to me?" He snapped. Thomas arrived, braking into the platform alongside Gordon.

"Well, James, _your_ competition is all about looks. Some of us have to actually _prepare_ for our competitions; I need to find time to practice my shunting, seeing as I'm competing for that!" He chuckled.

"Quite right, Thomas." Annie replied.

"We support you every step of the way!" Clarabel added. Thomas grinned cheekily at James.

"Besides...I could look better than you anyday! Blue _is_ the only proper color for a really useful engine...I'd just rather show off the 'really useful' part instead!" James seethed, and let off steam to try and hide his embarrassment. Thomas looked to Gordon.

"How about you, Gordon? What are you doing to prepare for the show?" Gordon was about to respond, when he looked to the station wall. A porter was hanging up a poster for the Great Railway Show, which had Flying Scotsman's picture on it. His brother's face seemed to be smirking right at him. Gordon stared at it for a moment, before smirking right back and replying to Thomas.

"Well, little Thomas, I was thinking I could get... _streamlined._ " Everything halted. James' jaw dropped as his cloud of steam finally cleared.

"WHAT!?"

"What!?" Thomas was just as shocked.

" _What!?_ " Annie and Clarabel were as well. The Fat Controller walked over, holding a cup of tea.

"What's all the commotion over here?" He took a sip of the tea before Gordon replied.

"Well, sir, I was wondering if I could be _streamlined_ for the Great Railway Show?" He promptly spit his tea out in shock.

"W-what, Gordon? Why?" Gordon smiled smugly.

"Because, sir, if I'm streamlined, I'll be faster than ever before! I know I could beat my brother-I mean, _win for Sodor,_ sir, if I could receive streamlining!" The Fat Controller thought for a moment before speaking.

"Well, Gordon, seeing as there's only three weeks before the show, it'll be a bit of a time crunch, but...if you really think it'll help you win, I'll, erm, make the necessary arrangements, I suppose." Gordon beamed.

"Oh, thank you, sir!" The Fat Controller walked back to his office, clearly still surprised.

"Gordon _wanting_ to get streamlined...what on Earth is happening to this island?" He muttered. Gordon left his coaches in the platform to go and take a rest on a siding. Thomas and James looked at each other as the big engine passed, still slack-jawed.

"Never thought I'd see the day…" James muttered.

"Me neither." Thomas agreed.

* * *

Gordon sat on his familiar siding to take a rest, but was far too excited to actually get any sleep.

"Oh yes, when I'm streamlined...I'll show my brother what for…" He grinned, as he suddenly heard a whistle and Stanley rolled by, shunting a van labeled "Shooting Star Firework Company". Gordon smirked, and began to sing.

" _All I want is a bit of redefining_

 _A way for no other engines to be outshining_

ME! _I shall receive...streamlining!_ " The big engine began to daydream, and imagined his streamlined shell locking into place around him. A large star shaped insignia appeared on his new shell's running board, and he grinned as he shot out of the siding and towards the main line.

" _Whoosh!_

 _Across the rails, a star shoots by!_ " Gordon whistled as he sped past Spencer in his fantasy, who was visibly shocked by his rival's new appearance.

" _Whoosh!_

 _I'll spit right in ol' Scotsman's eye!_ " Gordon rounded the bend, and saw his brother speeding along up ahead, and he began to draw level. _  
_

" _Whoosh!  
_

 _The rails won't hold me down again,  
_

 _Because when I'm streamlined, I'm bound to FLY!_ " He accelerated, and was soon enough neck-and-neck with his brother. The Flying Scotsman of Gordon's mind was shocked to see his "brother".

"Gordon?" The streamlined engine smirked back before continuing to sing.

" _Here comes the Shooting Star  
_

 _To defeat the competition!  
_

 _No more waiting around, I'm an engine on a mission  
_

 _To get the spotlight I deserve through  
_

 _Streamlining!_ " The Shooting Star shot ahead, leaving Flying Scotsman coughing on his dust. Gordon's new streamlined form rocketed along the line, speeding past all sorts of fast objects around him. Connor? Merely a blur. Caitlin? Barely even noticeable. The Shooting Star even managed to pass a rocket flying by in the sky. He smirked widely as Flying Scotsman, Spencer, Connor, and Caitlin tried desperately to keep up with him.

" _Whoosh!_

 _You'll wonder who was passing through._ "

" _Passing through!_ " The other four engines sang backup, though all with the same female voice. Spencer appeared shocked that this voice was coming out of his mouth.

" _Whoosh!  
_

 _You won't believe it's even true!_ "

" _Even true!_ "

" _Whoosh!  
_

 _But all you'll see of me will be…_ "

" _Doo, doo, doo-doo…_ " The four engines sang, but Shooting Star simply rocketed onwards and out of sight, merely a blue blur.

" _A shiny streak of racing blue!_ " Shooting Star shot around another bend, and found himself surrounded by stands full of adoring fans, who all cheered for him.

" _Go, Shooting Star!  
_

 _Go, Shooting Star!_ " A large red ribbon appeared across the rails down the line, and Shooting Star grinned as he began to speed towards it. His fans started to sing backup, with the same voice that Gordon's competitors had sang with earlier.

" _All I want is to beat my stupid brother  
_

 _To be better than the rest and to be like no other  
_

 _The Shooting Star is Coming Through!_ " The finish line grew closer.

" _Go, Shooting Star!_ "

" _To be faster than you or you!_ " His wheels pounded the rails.

" _Go, Shooting Star!_ "

" _Against me, racing they'll eschew!_ "

" _Go, Shooting Star!_ " Suddenly, the world seemed to slow down around the Shooting Star as he approached the finish line. He grinned, as the other competitors just seemed to round the corner behind him.

" _I'll be the fastest and the best!_

 _I'll be better than all the rest!_

 _My brother I'll leave far behind_

 _For in my dust, he'll be resigned_

 _The Shooting Star is coming through_

 _An engineering marvel of…_

 _STREAMLINING!_ " Finally, he burst through the red ribbon at the end of the finish line, and he braked to a halt as the crowd (and drums of his song) went wild. Shooting Star grinned, before singing a final high note.

" _YEAH!_ " Confetti and roses rained down around him, and loud cheering rang out.

"Gordon! Gordon! Gordon! Gordon!" However, the voice seemed to blend with another one.

"Gordon? Gordon?" Gordon opened his eyes to see a sheepish Stafford looking at him. He groaned.

"Yes, Stafford?" The electric engine backed up and looked to the station.

"Your next train is ready. Sorry to um, wake you up." Stafford dashed away awkwardly. Gordon, however, kept a smirk on his face as he rolled towards his coaches.

"I'll finally beat him…" He muttered, grinning. Stafford looked back as Gordon passed.

"Did you know that you sing in your sleep?" He asked. Gordon ignored him. The electric engine looked away awkwardly before muttering under his breath.

"...was pretty catchy." He remarked to no one in particular.

* * *

 **Chase:** The special's second song, to the tune of "Streamlining" from the actual special, is "The Shooting Star is Coming Through"! Due to Gordon getting streamlined, as _that_ feature is retained from here, we decided to repurpose the song, along with rewriting the somewhat underwhelming ending to a climax with a cheering crowd and insane drum solo. When I can record this one, I totally will, as it's a really fun, bombastic ending. Using Spencer for comedy is also a bit of an unorthodox thing we applied to this song, but we think it achieved a pretty funny result. Now, to address the elephant in the room...

 **Don:** As you may or may not have guessed, the international engine getting the focus this time around is Vinnie! While Ashima was more of a supporting hand in Thomas' story, Vinnie has his own story in this, which we'll see unravel as we go along. Also, Ashima mainly interacted with Thomas in the actual special, while here we see him develop relations with other characters. He has Henry as a rival (though obviously he doesn't see it that way) and Philip, who while he was definitely a victim of Vinnie's bullying, we took it to the next level here. We had a lot of fun bringing him to the Island of Sodor and having him bounce off the other characters.

Just how will Vinnie fit in on Sodor? Find out in the fourth chapter, "Vinnie the Villainous"!


	4. Vinnie the Villainous

Edward was resting on a siding at Wellsworth when he suddenly heard a loud, unfamiliar whistle.

"Hm?" He looked down the line, and saw a big, angry-looking engine he had never seen before pulling a longer line of trucks than he had ever seen. He raised an eyebrow as the newcomer braked to a halt in the platform, and rolled cautiously alongside, reading the engine's nameplate as he did so.

"Hello...Vinnie! Are you new?" He asked, trying to be friendly. Vinnie simply stared the blue engine down, making him most uncomfortable. Finally, he responded.

"Visiting." Edward was still determined to be friendly.

"Awful lot of trucks you've got there." He remarked, eyeing Vinnie's long train. The big engine scoffed.

"What's it to you, old iron?" He snapped. Edward was taken aback, but remained calm.

"Just noticing. You might want my help over the hill up ahead; it's rather steep, and you can stick if you aren't careful." Vinnie looked ahead to where the line began to climb, and to Edward's surprise, simply smirked.

"You call _dat_ a hill? You...what's dis place called again?"

"Sodor."

"You Sudar engines are all such pushovers, makin' mountains outta molehills! Watch this!" Vinnie whistled, and began to confidently leave the station, dragging his heavy trucks out behind him. Edward remained in his siding, watching with concern.

"Pride comes before a fall…" He muttered his breath, and began to watch. However, to his surprise, the rude newcomer appeared to find climbing the hill easy. Smoke billowed from his funnel, but there was no slipping, and the big engine grinned as he approached the top.

"Easy!" He remarked, and began coasting down the other side, his trucks rattling behind him. Back at the station, Edward was dumbfounded.

"Huh." However, he couldn't be shocked for long, as another whistle rang out and Henry rolled into the station. He noticed Edward's expression and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you alright, Edward?"

"Hm? Yes, I'm fine, Henry. It's just...that new engine just pulled more trucks than I've ever seen an engine pull...over Gordon's Hill...by _himself!_ " Henry thought for a moment.

"New engine?...Oh, bother, you don't mean _Vinnie_ , do you?"

"The very same; you've met, I assume?" Henry frowned.

"I'm competing against him in the Great Railway Show. I hope the other engines aren't _anything_ like him; he's very rude!" Edward chuckled.

"Don't let one bad apple spoil the bunch, Henry. I'm sure Vinnie's the exception, not the rule. Do you want help up the hill with your trucks?" He began to run around the back of the train, but Henry thought for a moment.

"No, thank you, Edward." The blue engine stopped and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure? It'd be no hassle, and you are pulling a very heavy train." Henry, however, whistled and started off.

"If Vinnie can make it over the hill, so can I!" Edward remained behind as Henry's train disappeared into the distance, concerned.

"Alright, Henry...if you say so." Henry began to climb the hill, his heavy train behind him. The Troublesome Trucks giggled as Henry began to slow down and the hill grew steeper.

" _Is that all you can haul? Vinnie's loads are longer!_

 _Is that all you can haul? Vinnie must be stronger!_ " The big green engine's face began to turn red as his wheels spun. He gritted his teeth and strained furiously.

"Come...on...come...on…" He panted, but it did no good. The heavy trucks began to pull him back, and his wheels began to slip. Henry gasped in horror.

"Oh no!" He tried to regain his grip, but he kept sliding down the hill. Finally, his driver activated his sandboxes, and Henry finally managed to regain control.

"Ah." He sighed in relief, and tried to pull them back up again, but he couldn't move. Henry had stalled. He blushed in embarrassment and whistled before calling back.

"Edward! I need a push!" He groaned before waiting for the blue engine to come help.

* * *

Vinnie slowly rolled through Maron when he suddenly heard the stationmaster talking on the telephone.

"Henry's stalled on the hill? Why didn't he have a banker? What do you _mean_ he was trying to 'prove his strength'?" The Canadian engine raised an eyebrow before beginning to snort, leading into hysterical laughter.

"Dat's _too_ good! Henry trying to prove he's stronger than me and endin' up stuck! I can't wait to see da stupid look on his face when he gets here...HAH!" Vinnie continued to laugh, before rolling to a stop in the platform. When he finally stopped, he heard a whistle coming from nearby.

"Excuse me? Could you move, please? I have to get past with these trucks!" Whiff was due to travel through in the opposite direction, and was currently being blocked by Vinnie.

"Go around, _four eyes._ " The bully smirked. Whiff spluttered.

"B-but-"

"Get _lost!_ I'll crush ya dorky little glasses if ya say _one more word_ to me, got it?" Vinnie stared the rubbish engine down, who gulped.

"Yes, sir." Whiff backed up to the junction, and quickly switched tracks so he could get as far away from Vinnie as soon as possible. As the four-eyed engine disappeared, Vinnie heard Henry's whistle, and noticed the aforementioned green engine limping solemnly into Maron. He tried to avoid eye contact as he passed Vinnie, but the Canadian engine started laughing anyway.

"Well, well, well, if it ain't mister 'even competitor'! You tryin' out mountain climbing? Hate to break it to ya, buddy, but ya just don't have the _strength_ for it!" Vinnie laughed loud and long as Henry looked away, ashamed. Before he could respond, Vinnie sneered at him.

"Like I said; tiny fish, big pond. You're nothing compared to the other competitors, and you're nothing compared to _me._ " He grinned wickedly as he began to pull away.

"You might as well drop out now...maybe they'll give you a participation trophy!" He cackled to himself as he disappeared into the distance, leaving a hurt and depressed Henry behind.

* * *

Later that day, Henry had to take a significantly lighter train to Ulfstead Castle. He tried not to think about Vinnie's harsh words, but he couldn't help it.

"I don't belong there...they're all way stronger than me too. I may as well ask The Fat Controller to take me out." He sighed as he made his way up the line up to the castle. As he approached the gates, he was surprised to see Stephen at the platform with several workmen polishing him.

"Stephen?" Stephen grinned at Henry.

"Hello, Henry! Guess what?" Before Henry could answer, Stephen continued speaking. "The people running the Great Railway Show asked the Earl if I could lead the Best in Show parade, and he said yes! Isn't that exciting?" Henry curled his lips into a forced smile.

"Good for you, Stephen! At least _you_ belong there..." He muttered, sounding sadder as he went on. Stephen raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean, old boy? You're one of the strongest engines I know."

"Then you must not know a lot of strong engines. That new engine Vinnie managed to pull the longest train I've ever seen over Gordon's Hill _without a banker_! I can't do that; I'm not strong enough! If I go to the show, I'll lose for sure!" Henry lamented. Stephen thought for a moment before smirking.

"Yes, Vinnie may be stronger NOW, but it doesn't have to be that way. With my training and your resilience, you shall be equals, nay BETTER, and you can win the Great Railway Show!" Henry raised an eyebrow.

"Training? How are you going to train me, Stephen?" Stephen grinned confidently.

"We pit you and that big new engine against each other in feats of strength, and you keep working at it until you're stronger than ever!" Henry raised an eyebrow.

"With _Vinnie_? Pah! He's the rudest engine I've ever met, why on Sodor would I train with him?"

"To push your boundaries, boy! Right now, you need a bar to hold yourself to, and he's your bar! Trust me, when you glide across the finish line, leaving him in the dust, it'll all be worth it, and he'll be none the wiser! Besides, I'm sure he'll jump on the opportunity to keep his strength up, which I'm sure is what your competitors are doing over at the showgrounds since their ship arrived." Henry thought for a moment before hesitantly smiling.

"Alright, Stephen...I'll do it." Stephen grinned.

"Excellent! Now, I'll deal with getting ol' Vinnie here, you just need to come here when you have your first break of the day! Stick with me, Henry, and you'll be the champ! Huzzah!" Stephen laughed triumphantly. Henry chuckled to himself, but it soon turned to a nervous grimace.

"Hopefully _he'll_ be willing to do it…" He muttered.

* * *

Vinnie returned to Knapford later that day. His good mood from having seen Henry fail had faded, and he was now tired.

"I'm only here a day and they're already rushin' me off my wheels! I need a rest…" He scanned the station, trying to find someone to take his trucks away. Suddenly, he spotted a familiar boxcab from across the station, shunting some coaches.

"Hey! Shrimp! I've got some trucks for ya!" He called, but Philip seemed to ignore him. Vinnie rolled his eyes.

"For Pete's sake...hey, _KID,_ I GOT TRUCKS! HURRY UP!" The little engine still wasn't paying attention. Across the station, Philip was in his own little world, his eyes shut.

" _...and Philip wins the Great Race! The crowd goes wild! He's the fastest engine in the world! Yay!_ " Philip announced under his breath, imagining the cheering crowd around him. He moved the coaches into the platform and opened his eyes.

"Well, off to fetch another train!" He chortled to himself, and began reversing towards the junction to switch himself back to the yards. However, he heard a loud whistle, and felt something ram against his buffers, pushing him towards a siding.

"WHOA!" He cried, eyes shut in horror. When he finally felt the buffers hit his own, he opened his eyes and began to stammer in terror. Looking right at him was a furious Vinnie, his teeth gritted.

"Listen up, _shrimp!_ I've had a _long_ day, and I _don't_ like t'be kept waitin'! When I tell ya that I got cars for ya, I mean that _I got cars for ya!_ If I gotta hang around in the station so ya can shunt my trucks again, I'mma squash ya like a BUG _, capisce?_ " Philip cowered in fear, his eyes wide and teeth chattering.

"Y-yes, Vinnie, s-sorry, V-Vinnie-"

"AND WHAT DID I TELL YA TO CALL ME!?" Vinnie bellowed, pushing Philip into the buffers further. Philip squeaked.

"Sir! Yes, sir! Sorry, sir! I'll shunt your trucks right away, sir!" The bully smirked wickedly.

"That's better." He reversed gently, leaving just enough room for Philip to scamper away, terrified. As soon as the boxcab was out of sight, Vinnie began laughing hysterically.

"Oh, dat was _rich!_ Da look on his stupid little face!" The bully cackled as he went off to take a rest in the sheds. Back in the station, Philip coupled up to Vinnie's trucks and began pushing them towards the yards.

"S-s-s-s-stupid Vinnie…" He muttered under his breath, but knew he was too scared to do anything about it.

* * *

 **Chase:** Vinnie's begun working on Sodor! We've set up two major dynamics with him here, the first of which, beginning last chapter with Philip blocking him from the boat, is him and Philip. Whereas in the canon special, Vinnie only really pushes Philip around when he gets in the way or does something to annoy him, we've amped up Vinnie's bullying traits, making him nastier and explicitly using Philip as a punching bag. Their dynamic will evolve further over the course of their interactions throughout the special, and although the root of their dynamic comes from the actual special, their conflict will resolve itself differently than the canon special did. How? Well, wait and see to find out. As for the other major Vinnie dynamic...

 **Don:** Vinnie's other main dynamic is with Henry, who he also bullies, though in less of a physical way. He sees Henry as weak and pathetic while himself as strong, which we'll see develop as the story rolls along. In the actual special, the two didn't even really interact, but we felt it was yet another lost opportunity so we decided to take advantage of it. These two will also have their conflict resolved, but that'll have to wait until later.

Will Vinnie train with Henry and Stephen? Will he keep pushing Philip around? And how is progress on Gordon's streamlining? Find out in the fifth chapter, "Good, Better, Best", featuring an original song ("Good, Better, Best") that you can listen to on SoundCloud now!


	5. Good, Better, Best!

Gordon sat in the Steamworks, waiting impatiently for his streamlined shell to be made.

"How long is this going to take?" He grumbled to a passing Kevin. Kevin stopped and thought for a moment.

"Uh... I don't know, Gordon, you'll have to ask the boss. All I know is that you still have a lot of waiting to do." Gordon groaned. Kevin thought for a moment before grinning.

"Oh, I know!" He raced away to the back of the Steamworks and quickly came back, pushing a television set on a cart with his hook.

"This just came today! I don't think it was meant for you, but it can still keep you entertained!" Kevin raised his crane arm above it and was about to lower it when several workmen ran up.

"Kevin, NO!" Kevin raised an eyebrow as the workmen hastily turned on the television.

"You mean that's _not_ how you turn it on?" He mused to himself. Gordon rolled his eyes, but was surprised to see that on the screen was a smartly dressed man, behind him the Flying Scotsman. Another man seemed to be interviewing them.

"Mr. Pegler, it is now common knowledge that the Flying Scotsman will be competing in the Great Race in a few weeks. Just how fast can he go?" Mr. Pegler smirked and gestured to Scotsman.

"Why, good sir, this engine has been known to go as fast as one hundred five miles an hour. He will beat out the competition without breaking a sweat."

"Speaking of the competition..." The interviewer pointed the microphone at Scotsman. "Is there anything you would like to say to your competitors at the Great Railway Show?" Scotsman thought for a moment, and then grinned.

"Why yes, sir, indeed there is." He looked straight at the camera and smirked. "I'm looking forward to our race... _little brother_." Gordon's cheeks turned red with rage. He gritted his teeth.

"Kevin! Tell Victor to hurry _up_!" Kevin, caught off-guard, scurried away to do so. Gordon narrowed his eyes. "I won't let him beat me _this_ time…"

* * *

Out on the main line, Vinnie was pulling another heavy goods train. He was making good time, and smirked as he rumbled through a green signal.

"Heh, I wanna see any of these Sodor losers try and do this! They'd probably just stall! Hah!" However, as the huge engine rumbled around the bend, he saw an old, slow engine, making his way along the line right in front of him. Vinnie whistled long and loud as he applied his brakes.

"Get outta da way!" He shouted, and managed to slow down just short of the old engine's tender. He rolled his eyes and looked down at the old engine.

"Look, buddy, I get that you're old and everything, but dis is _my_ line! Let me through!" To his surprise, the old engine chuckled before looking back at him.

"Oh, hello, there! Are you Vinnie?" The Canadian engine raised an eyebrow.

"What's it to you, old man?" He snapped. Stephen chuckled.

"I'm Stephen, but you can call me 'The Rocket'!"

"Yeah, I ain't gonna do that. Is dere a reason why you're blockin' my line, or are you just tryin' to chat?" Vinnie rolled his eyes. Stephen grinned.

"Ah, that there is, old boy; you'll have to go up to the castle to find out, though! Drop off your trucks and go up to Ulfstead Castle. Trust me, it'll be worth it!" Finally, as they approached a set of points, Stephen whistled and switched onto another line to allow Vinnie to pass.

"Hope I can see you there!" He called. The Canadian engine rolled his eyes.

"Dis place is _so_ weird…" He muttered to himself, and continued on to the next station.

* * *

Nonetheless, when he had finished his work, Vinnie _did_ make his way up to the castle. When he made his way through the castle gates, he was greeted with a very peculiar sight.

"Come on, Henry, he's bound to show up any second! We need these trucks ready! Shunt! SHUNT LIKE YOU'VE NEVER SHUNTED BEFORE!" Stephen called to Henry, who was shunting the last few trucks to make two long lines of trucks in the platform, side by side. Henry panted furiously at the weight.

"Why-phew-are we doing-ugh-this, Stephen? I'm competing...in the _strength_ competition...not the _shunting..._ competition!" Finally, Henry braked to a halt, and let out a sigh of relief. Stephen grinned.

"Because, Henry, you always need to warm up before you exercise!" Vinnie snorted in response to this, and both Henry and Stephen looked at him. The older engine smiled.

"Ah, Vinnie! Glad you came!" The bully raised an eyebrow.

"What the heck are you doin'? I get dat Herring's a weakling but he's way too fat to shunt!" Vinnie laughed nastily, causing Henry to frown in embarrassment. Stephen, however, was undeterred.

"Now, now, Vinnie, be a good sport!" He chided playfully. Vinnie's gaze narrowed.

" _Being a good sport doesn't make ya win, old man._ " He replied coldly. This caught Stephen off-guard, but his smile quickly returned as he continued.

"I suppose you're wondering why I asked you here?"

"One of _many_ questions…" Vinnie muttered under his breath.

"Well, I'll tell you! Both you and Henry are competing in the Strength Competition, and I think it would beneficial for both of you to train with one another. Seeing as you're trapped here for the time being, and your competitors will be practicing at the showground, it'll be a great way to 'keep the playing field even', so to speak." The old engine grinned at Vinnie, who held in laughter for a moment before letting it all go in one burst.

"' _Keep the playing field even'?_ I could run laps around Herring over here with twice as much weight right now! Why would I help make him stronger?" He finished cackling, and Henry looked at Stephen to see how he would respond. To Henry's surprise, the "Rocket" simply smirked.

"Why, to make it all the more satisfying when you beat him, of course!" He replied. Henry's jaw dropped, but a discrete wink from Stephen shut him up. Vinnie, surprised, thought for a moment, before smirking.

"All right, old man, you're on. Let's get on with da 'training' den." He whistled and rolled past Henry and Stephen to turn around on the turntable. Henry looked to Stephen with a nervous expression.

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea, he's already-"

"Henry, you're competing with the greats! It is my responsibility as your coach to make sure you are ready for the competition ahead!" Vinnie backed down onto the trucks Henry had set out, and the green engine looked at Stephen again.

"Stephen, I won't really get much stronger than I'm _designed_ to be-"

"Nonsense, Henry! As long as you put your all into improving yourself, you will!" Vinnie whistled impatiently.

"Hurry up, gramps! I haven't got all day!" Henry reversed quickly towards the trucks, before being coupled up. Stephen rolled towards the two engines, grinning.

"Alright, lads! Let an 'old-timer' show you how it's done!" He whistled, and the two engines began to strain forwards. Stephen rolled alongside them backwards, only keeping up because of their slow speed with the heavy load, and began to sing.  
" _Good, better, best!_

 _Never let it rest!_

 _Til' your good is your better, and your better is your best!_ " Vinnie had managed to gain some traction, and was beginning to overtake Henry significantly. The green engine strained furiously, and Stephen rolled alongside him as he continued, motivating him.

" _Eyes on the goal!_

 _You'll surely top the poll!_

 _Control your chances, play fair, don't weigh the roll!_ " Henry began gasping furiously, and began to slow down. Up ahead, Vinnie noticed his competitor beginning to stop and smirked wickedly. Stephen switched tracks to be in front of Henry, and looked his trainee in the eyes.

" _Henry, dear lad, when your wheels start to slip,_

 _Don't lose your focus, keep on steering your ship!_

 _You'll be good, better, best!_ " As Stephen sang, Henry started furiously turning his wheels, and soon enough got the train moving at a faster speed, and the "Rocket" moved out of the way to allow him to pass. Later, Stephen was waiting at the top of the hill leading up to the castle, and calling out down the hill.

" _Wheel-turn, by wheel-turn_

 _Puff by puff…_ " Henry and Vinnie were trying to push trucks piled high with rocks up the hill, and Henry was once again struggling. Vinnie noticed this, and began to slow down as well, beginning to grin wickedly.

" _You've got to give your all to get better and to show you've got the stuff!_ " Stephen's words didn't help Henry, as Vinnie blew his whistle loudly and laughed as he picked up speed again and easily overtook him. The green engine looked miserable, even as they headed off to their next challenge. As Vinnie took a triumphant drink from the water tower, Stephen rolled alongside Henry and began to whisper-sing to him, so Vinnie wouldn't hear him.

" _Henry, look ahead_

 _Show Vinnie who to dread!_

 _But don't let him get inside your head!_ " Henry smiled determinedly, and they continued their challenges. Stephen had the two engines pull trucks filled with all sorts of heavy things over all sorts of terrain. He brought them down to Brendam Docks and tied their couplings to Cranky, and the two began to pull. Henry couldn't keep his wheels spinning, and Stephen frowned as Vinnie laughed triumphantly. However, a distressed cry from Cranky showed that the crane was about to tip over, and the two engines stopped pulling on him. Later, he brought them back to Ulfstead Castle and put them on opposite ends of one long train, and, with a blast of his whistle, ordered them to begin pulling in the directions they were facing. He barked orders to Henry as the green engine strained furiously, and Stephen eyed some markers placed nearby the rails to indicate the distance the engines had travelled from the center.

" _Henry, look alive!_

 _When you start to lack the drive_

 _Take your one puff left and turn it into five!_ " Henry's face was bright red as he was slowly dragged backwards, but he struggled on nonetheless. However, he let out a gasp of exhaustion and began to stop puffing. Stephen whistled sharply and glared at him.

" _The name of the game, is just 'keep puffing on'!_

 _Be a_ _ **smart**_ _player, it isn't all brawn_

 _To be good, better, best!_ " Henry raised an eyebrow at this remark, but it still hadn't hit him when he and Vinnie were having another go at pushing the trucks of rocks up the hill. Suddenly, the world seemed to go into slow-motion, as a version of Stephen seemed to float around in Henry's head, and the green engine shut his eyes. Everything went quiet as Henry's imaginary Stephen began to sing.

" _Keep going_

 _The wind will keep on blowing_

 _And you will keep showing that you'll succeed…_ " Vinnie noticed Henry beginning to slow down and grinned wickedly. Henry remained focused on the Stephen in his head.

" _Just look inside_

 _Take a deep breath, swallow your pride_

 _And Henry, lad, tell me you what you need!_ " Henry's eyes opened again, and they began to widen in realization.

" _What I need?..._

 _I NEED TO BE GOOD, BETTER, BEST!_ " His wheels began to pound against the rails, and he began to make up the ground between himself and Vinnie, and the "Rocket" at the top of the hill grinned.

"Atta boy, Henry!

 _Never let it rest_

 _Til your good is_ _ **better**_ _than your best!_ " Henry brought his newfound confidence to the other trials, and, as they completed each one again, the gaps between him and Vinnie got smaller.

" _Henry, my boy, keep your eyes on the prize_

 _And tell that big creep, "try this on for your size!"_ Vinnie grit his teeth furiously and tried to overtake Henry again, but the green engine, as red-faced as he was, wasn't willing to give up so easily. As a result, between challenges, Henry got a turn at the water tower first as Vinnie sat sulking behind him. Henry grinned at Stephen, and the two sang together.

" _You've/I've just gotta keep your/my head in the game_

 _But You/I shouldn't do it for fortune and fame!_ " Henry and Vinnie had returned to the tug-o-war, and were preparing for another go. Vinnie was red with rage, but Henry simply grinned determinedly as Stephen prepared to whistle.

" _I should do it to be good, better, BEST!_ " Stephen's whistle sounded out, and he watched as Henry managed to keep the train still, exerting the same force as Vinnie while holding out the long final note. The "Rocket" watched as Henry slowly moved between two of the markers, monitoring his position.

"Good! Best! Good! Good! Better! BEST! Good! Good! Best!" Stephen grinned as Henry finally managed to slowly move onto the next marker, despite the force of the struggling Vinnie against him.

" _Now you can rest._ " He smiled triumphantly, and Henry stopped pulling.

"Phew." Unfortunately for Vinnie, he hadn't heard Stephen say stop, and as a result, was sent flying into a coal bunker when the coupling between him and the trucks snapped.

"AAGH!" He hit the bunker with a loud bump and was covered from funnel to tender in coal dust, but Henry and Stephen didn't pay attention to him. They were too busy celebrating Henry's improvement.

* * *

That night, Vinnie sulked the whole way back to the yards, still covered in coal and grumbling dreadfully. He spotted Philip shunting trucks up ahead and grinned wickedly.

"Hey, _Shrimp!_ Think fast!" Before Philip could react, Vinnie rammed into him, sending him flying a considerable distance forwards before managing to brake to a stop. The bully cackled as Philip groaned in pain.

"Ow! That _really_ hurt!" The boxcab squeaked. Vinnie smirked.

"Well maybe next time, don't be in my way!" Philip remained still as the big engine rolled past. He raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you covered in coal dust?" Vinnie stopped and looked menacingly back at the little engine.

"You want me t'whack you again, kid?" Philip yelped and scampered away, leaving Vinnie to roll away to the sheds, now angry all over again.

* * *

Gordon was quickly becoming impatient again. "Hurry _up_ , Victor, or I won't be ready in time for the show!" He insisted. Victor rolled up with a flatbed containing some parts of Gordon's shell.

"Streamlining an engine is a long job, you know. We have to do it properly, or something could go wrong!" Gordon was about to retort when a loud whistle blew. James entered the Steamworks, screeching to a halt in his signature way.

"Here's James!" He smirked proudly. Victor and Gordon shared a glance.

"Alright, James, I'll be with you in just a moment." Victor called. Gordon spluttered.

"What? Victor, you can't leave me; you have a job to do!" Victor rolled his eyes.

"That job can wait for a moment, Gordon. This won't take long." Gordon seethed as Victor puffed up to James.

"Hello, my friend. What is the matter? Do you need a tuneup?" James' smirk grew wider.

"What I need, Victor, is a repaint." Victor looked confused.

"A repaint? James, you had a repaint last week, it's still fresh." James rolled forward onto the turntable.

"Not fresh enough. I have to look my absolute best for the Great Railway Show." Kevin drove up with some pots of paint.

"If you want to look your best, James, how about you have some decorations painted on? Then, you'll look more splendid than ever!" James snorted indignantly.

"Are you saying I'm not _already_ splendid?" Kevin faltered.

"Um…"

"Because I am! I don't need any 'decorations.' My red paint is sure to be enough to win over the hearts of the judges!" Whilst he said this, Kevin sheepishly rolled away, passing an increasingly cross Gordon.

"Are you sure about this, James?" Victor asked. "You are competing with the world's best painted, you know." James scoffed.

"Don't _you_ start. I am sure, Victor. Nothing can compete with _this_." His paintwork glistened in the sunlight. Victor reluctantly sighed.

"If you say so…" The painters started crowding around James and began their work. Gordon watched on, scowling.

"I can't believe this island sometimes."

* * *

 **Chase:** You've now seen the special's main original song, "Good, Better, Best" in action! Writing this song was an utter blast, and it's probably my favorite song sequence I've written for a Thomas project. Letting Stephen go full insane coach was fun, as well as coming up with the different challenges he puts Vinnie and Henry through were a lot of fun. You can listen to the song on SoundCloud, as previously said, which I highly recommend you do while reading the sequence! It really adds a lot! As shown in the song, Henry is vastly improving as the show draws closer, and he's managed to be pretty even with Vinnie!

 **Don:** The chapter also sets up James' arc, though his is much less prominent than Gordon and Henry. He is going alone in this version as opposed to Emily tagging along, because having two Sodor competitors in the same competition is a bit strange. However, due to Emily not being there, that means there's a spot open for someone else to fill. But who is that someone? Well, if you've read the trailer, you may already have a good idea as to who it is.

Spencer is also not there either, as he lost the race to Scotsman for the spot. However, who will be the Great Race's fifth competitor? Find out in the sixth chapter, "The Rumor Mill Spins"!


	6. The Rumor Mill Spins

Meanwhile, out on the main line…

"Come on, Caitlin, keep up!" Connor and Caitlin were racing again, and were running side by side, but Connor was pulling slightly ahead. He smirked as his wheels pounded the rails.

"You've been falling behind, Caitlin! Maybe you're starting to slow down!" The two rounded the bend towards Vicarstown, and the junction approached. Caitlin panted, exhausted, but suddenly strained and whistled.

"No, maybe _you_ are!" Connor gasped as Caitlin barely managed to pull ahead as they approached the station, and whistled as she crossed the "finish line"; she had won their race.

"I won this time, Connor!" She teased, her face bright red. Connor looked upset for a moment, before smiling.

"Good game, Caitlin! You had me on the ropes with that one!" Neither of them noticed a smartly dressed gentleman with a briefcase disembarking from Connor's train and begin walking towards them. However, what did get their attention was the arrival of Thomas, who pulled into another platform with Annie and Clarabel, grumbling dreadfully.

"Why should I have to take James' train if he's getting repainted _again?_ How am I supposed to have time to practice my shunting for the Great Railway Show if I'm doing all of James' work plus my own?" He scowled. Annie and Clarabel rolled their eyes.

"It's the Fat Controller's orders, Thomas." Clarabel replied.

"Although James could go without his second repaint in two weeks…" Annie muttered under her breath. Caitlin grinned across the platform to Thomas, and he instantly cracked a small smile.

"Hello, Caitlin! Hi, Connor!" He called. The two engines grinned back, but were interrupted by a voice.

"Hello, Connor and Caitlin, long time no see!" The two streamlined engines gasped as they looked at the smartly dressed gentleman on the platform.

"Mr. Claremont!" They shouted in unison. Thomas raised an eyebrow.

"Mr. Claremont?" Caitlin chuckled.

"Mr. Claremont is Connor and I's old controller from when we worked in America, Thomas!" Thomas looked at the man, who seemed to have a fatherly, friendly look about him.

"Hello, Mr. Claremont! My name is Thomas!" Mr. Claremont smiled warmly.

"Hello, Thomas."

"If you're from America, sir, what are you doing here?" The tank engine asked. Mr. Claremont chuckled.

"Well, you see, Thomas, I got a letter asking me if I wanted to send one of my engines to the Great Railway Show-"

"I'm going to the Great Railway Show, in the Shunting Competition! I-"

"Thomas, don't be rude!" Annie chided. Mr. Claremont laughed jovially.

"Well, the famous 'Thomas the Tank Engine' is just as cheeky as they say!" He remarked. Thomas blushed as the man continued.

"As I was saying, I was asked to send one of my engines to the Great Railway Show to represent America, but none of my current stock is fast enough. So, I decided to pay a visit to two of my former engines to see if one of them would want to participate, and Caitlin, if you want to, you may have that spot." Caitlin gasped and began beaming with pride.

"Yes, sir! Of course, sir! I'd be delighted, sir! Thank you, Mr. Claremont, sir! I won't let you down! I-" As Caitlin gushed to Mr. Claremont about her excitement for the Great Railway Show, Connor rolled his eyes and smiled.

"Congratulations, Caitlin." Thomas chuckled, and looked back as his guard's whistle blew.

"Yes, congratulations!" He called, and slowly pulled out of the station.

"Bye, Thomas!" Caitlin called, and continued gushing to a smiling Mr. Claremont.

* * *

Caitlin raced back down the Main Line to Ulfstead Castle. She was very excited about the news she had received.

"I can't believe it! _Me_ at the Great Railway Show! Oh, this is so exciting!" She gushed to herself. As she approached the castle, she could see Henry and Vinnie each pulling a very heavy train and Stephen shouting encouragement. Caitlin pulled into the station, very confused. Millie was already there, watching the scene with amusement.

"What on Sodor are they doing?" Caitlin whispered, so the three wouldn't hear her. Millie rolled her eyes.

"I think Henry and zat other engine are training for ze Great Railway Show; Stephen is acting as zere coach." Caitlin raised an eyebrow.

"Their coach? But he's not a coach, he's an engine." Millie started laughing.

"No Caitlin, not a railway coach. A _training_ coach. I'm not really sure of it myself, but Stephen seems to know what he's doing." The two quieted down so they could listen.

"Come on, Henry, you can do it!" Stephen encouraged. "Good, better, best, that's it!" Henry and Vinnie were almost at level. Vinnie gnashed his teeth.

"Oh no ya don't." He snarled, drawing ahead. Henry did his best to follow. Millie chuckled.

"It means more work for me, but it makes him happy." The two continued listening to the training session. Stephen grinned as Henry slowly continued to gain on Vinnie.

"That's it, Henry, just a little more! You have the strength in you! You don't need any modifications like ol' 'streamlined Gordon'! You can make it by on pure grit!" Vinnie snorted in defiance. Caitlin was still confused.

"'Streamlined Gordon?'" Millie raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't know? Gordon's getting streamlined for ze show!" Millie's guard blew the whistle and she drew out of the station. All of her passengers had their ears covered from how loud Stephen was. Caitlin gasped in horror.

" _Gordon is getting streamlined?!"_

* * *

Flying Scotsman pulled into Vicarstown, where several rail enthusiasts were waiting on the platform, readying their cameras. They were just about to take their pictures when Caitlin rolled in front of them. The enthusiasts lowered their cameras and shook their fists at Caitlin.

"You miserable streamliner!"

"Know your place!" The enthusiasts dispersed, still sulking. Caitlin blushed in embarrassment.

"S-Sorry!" She called sheepishly. Scotsman smirked.

"Trying to steal my fame just because you got nominated, are you?" He teased. Caitlin gasped.

"You know about that already?"

"Why, of course! The news is all across the Mainland by now." His smirk dropped and he became serious. "Well done on earning that spot. I heard you had quite the race." Caitlin smirked back.

"Nothing I can't handle." She dropped her voice to a whisper. "I think there's something you should know, Scotsman." Flying Scotsman raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?" Caitlin looked around to make sure no one was listening to them.

"For the Great Race, Gordon is... _being streamlined_!" A look of horror momentarily crossed Scotsman's face. He then burst out laughing.

"Now _that_ would be a sight to behold! What a joke, Caitlin! You got me with that one!"

"It's not a joke!" Caitlin persisted. "I just heard it up at the castle!" Scotsman rolled his eyes, still chuckling.

"You shouldn't believe everything you hear, Caitlin. That must've just been some silly rumour. Gordon _hates_ the idea of being streamlined! Er, no offense." Scotsman whistled and started to leave. "He would never be so desperate. Anyway, goodbye, Caitlin! Good luck at the Great Race!" He chuckled. "You'll need it." Caitlin chose to ignore the last thing he said.

"Well, you're in for a _big_ surprise…" She muttered.

* * *

 **Chase:** This chapter's a bit shorter than previous, and as a result there are only a few talking points. One of them is Thomas' arc of not being able to practice his shunting for the Great Railway Show. It won't be addressed for a while, but know that it comes back later!

 **Don:** The other talking point is this chapter is where Caitlin comes into play. Why did she replace Spencer? Well, in our newly established rules of the show, there can only be contestant per country per event, so with Scotsman in, Spencer had to go, leaving a vacant spot in his place. We decided to put a pre-existing character that would make sense in the spot instead and I think it worked out alright.

The show is growing ever closer, but there's still a few bumps to go before actually getting there. What will those bumps be? Find out in the seventh chapter, "Braking Point"!


	7. Braking Point

The show was fast approaching, and Gordon's streamlined shell was almost completely applied. Victor had left to collect some parts, which left Kevin in charge of finishing the project. Gordon was becoming more impatient than ever.

"There's only one more day before the show, Kevin." He snapped. " _One day_ , and you still aren't done! If I'm not finished by today, I won't be able to go!" Kevin had been racing around trying to attend to everything and briefly stopped by Gordon.

"I'm sorry, Gordon, but you heard what Victor said! Besides, we're almost done! We just need to-"

"Whatever you have to do now can't be _that_ important." Gordon cut in grumpily. "Otherwise, it would've been done earlier." Kevin looked conflicted.

"Oh, well, I suppose you're right. Alright, everyone!" He called to the workmen. "Let's get Gordon on the racetrack right away!" The workmen started working faster, and Kevin hurried away, absentmindedly rolling past a small, golden object. Kevin and the workmen finished the shell as quickly as they could. At last, Kevin rolled in front of Gordon to look him over and beamed.

"That looks about right! All done, Gordon!" Kevin picked up a mirror with his hook and raised it in front of Gordon's face. "Well? What do you think?" Gordon looked in the mirror and gasped; he was no longer his original shape. He was now slick, shining and best of all, streamlined. Gordon grinned broadly.

"It's perfect." Kevin breathed a sigh of relief.

"We did it!" He exclaimed. "Victor's going to be so proud! Just like you are! Aren't you, Gordon?" Gordon didn't reply. "Gordon?" Gordon was imagining himself speeding down the line again, faster than ever. He drew up to Flying Scotsman on the other line, who had a confident smirk until Gordon flew past him.

"W-what?" Scotsman spluttered. Gordon smirked and raced over the finish line with ease. He came to a halt, taking in the crowds erupting into cheers for him.

"Shooting Star! Shooting Star! Shooting Star!" Gordon opened his eyes and chuckled.

"Make way for the 'Shooting Star', _Scott_ …"

* * *

Henry and Vinnie were waiting at the top of the hill nearby Ulfstead Castle, with huge loads of steel girders stacked on trucks behind them. Stephen looked between the two engines with narrowed eyes before speaking.

"Alright, you two, listen up! I've been training your strength in _starting_ off with a heavy load, but now, as the show gets closer, I want to train your ability to _stop!_ " Vinnie snorted and smirked at Henry, but he seemed more nervous than usual.

"Dis'll be easy!" He chuckled under his breath, but he was beginning to sweat. Stephen whistled loudly to regain his attention, and the Canadian engine's eyes snapped back quickly. Vinnie very quickly realized how much he was buying into the old engine's delusion, and then rolled his eyes. Stephen continued.

"As a part of this challenge, I shall blast my whistle twice! The first time, you shall began to head down the hill with your trucks, and allow yourself to build up speed! The second time, after you have gathered enough momentum, you shall attempt to gently break to a stop! There has been a flag placed on the side of the line, and your goal is to stop either before or right on that point! No farther!" Vinnie scoffed again.

"Dis is a strength competition, not a stoppin' competition, old man! What's the point of-"

"The _point,_ Vinnie, is that if you don't manage to _stop_ in time, you could end up barrelling straight into stands of people! That wouldn't be very good, would it?" Stephen fired back, sharp as a whip, staring Vinnie down. The Canadian engine grimaced and subsided before rolling his eyes. Henry grinned determinedly.

"I'm ready, Stephen! Let's do this!" Stephen grinned.

"That's what I like to hear! On your marks…" Henry grinned at Vinnie, who, to his surprise, appeared to be a little bit scared.

"Is something wrong, Vinnie?"

"...Get set…" Vinnie's face quickly snapped into a snarl.

"What's wrong is you ain't eatin' my dust yet, Herring!" Henry glared, but before he could retort, Stephen's whistle blasted.

"GO!" The two engines started off, very evenly, and began coasting down the hill with the heavy trucks behind them. As they picked up speed, Vinnie began to take deep breaths to calm his nerves.

"Ah, jeez…" He muttered under his breath. Henry retained his focused grin, and soon enough they heard Stephen's whistle from the top of the hill.

"Alright, boys! Start braking!" Henry and Vinnie began to apply their brakes. However, one of them was slowing down much faster than the other…

"Vinnie, what are you doing? Slow down!" Henry called, as he came to a stop just behind the flag. Vinnie, however, kept on sliding down the hill, desperately trying to brake.

"Come on, _come on!_ " He grimaced, but he wasn't slowing down fast enough. Suddenly, another whistle sounded out: it was Connor, making his way up the hill with both his and Caitlin's coaches.

"Great...Caitlin gets to gallivant off to the Great Railway Show while I'm stuck pulling her passengers as _well_ as my own…" He muttered. However, he saw Vinnie sliding towards him and gasped.

" _Get out of the way!_ " Connor cried, and Vinnie desperately began to brake harder. Finally, Vinnie, eyes shut tight, barely managed to stop just short of Connor's skirt. He let out a sigh of relief, but he heard two whistles and Henry and Stephen raced alongside.

"Vinnie, are you alright?" Henry asked.

"Why didn't you tell us you had weak brakes, lad? I would have whistled sooner!" Stephen practically shouted with concern.

"You nearly knocked me off the rails!" Connor snapped. Vinnie, at first terrified at almost ramming into Connor, snarled.

"Who said anythin' about weak brakes? I ain't got weak brakes! He was just gettin' in my way!"

"It's my line!" Connor snapped. Vinnie growled.

"Yeah...whatever! I'm outta here!" He whistled, and quickly switched tracks, racing away from the hill as fast as he could. Henry and Stephen shared a glance.

"Well, Henry, I suppose this concludes our training." Stephen mused. Henry watched Vinnie leave with concern.

"Yes, I suppose it does…"

* * *

Vinnie grumbled all the way back to the yards, having left his truck on a siding.

"Stupid _Herring_ , stupid _brakes_ , stupid _old man_ , stupid…" Suddenly, he was a sight that made him grin wickedly.

"Heh. _Shrimp._ " Sure enough, waiting in front of the coal hopper was Philip. The boxcab had his eyes shut, and a wide grin spread across his face.

" _To conclude our celebration, we shall be crowning the winner of the Great Race...Philip of Sodor!_ " Philip laughed to himself happily. However, he suddenly heard a voice that snapped him out of his fantasy immediately.

"Hiya, squirt." The boxcab's eyes shot open to see Vinnie maliciously grinning at him.

"H-h-hello, s-s-sir." He squeaked. Vinnie's smile remained plastered on his face.

"Whatcha been up to, kiddo?" Philip stammered.

"W-w-w-w-well, I-"

"Sounds to me like you were thinkin' about goin' to da show again, weren'tcha?" Philip jumped as Vinnie began to move slowly towards him.

"I wasn't! I swear, I wasn't!" He rapidly tried to deny it, but Vinnie's evil grin remained.

"Listen up, _shrimp._ No one like you is ever gonna go to da show, no matter how hard ya wanna. Why? 'Cause you're _useless._ You'll still be a little box no matter how many decorations they slap on ya, so you can't win Best in Show. From da state of dis yard, you ain't winning any shunting competition any time soon, I'll tell ya that much. You're too small to be as strong as me…"

"I wouldn't compete against you! Henry already is!" Philip replied quickly. Vinnie's smile dropped.

"DID I ASK YA ABOUT _HERRING_ , SHRIMP?" He bellowed. Philip squeaked in fear and reversed again as Vinnie drew closer.

"I'msorryIwon'tdoitagainIwon'tdoitagainI-"

"And why do ya think you're gonna be in the _Great Race?_ You're a teeny tiny shrimpy wimpy little pile of scrap, why would they ever want you?" Philip perked up.

"I won a race with G-"

"Face it, _twerp..._ " Philip cowered in fear as Vinnie drew buffer to buffer with him. The Canadian engine grinned wickedly as he whispered his next words to the boxcab.

" _You're never going to the Great Railway Show._ " He rammed into Philip, sending the little engine flying backwards under the coal hopper. Suddenly, coal released from the top of the hopper onto Philip, covering the little boxcab in coal dust. He coughed furiously as Vinnie cackled.

"See you round, shrimp!" The Canadian engine reversed away, leaving a shattered Philip to sit in the coal dust. A single tear from Philip's eye created a clean stream down his cheeks.

* * *

It took until night had fallen to dig Philip out, and he sulked away to his shed, still miserable over Vinnie's words. The boxcab reversed into the sheds slowly, before his driver stepped down and pat his engine's buffer sympathetically.

"Cheer up, Philip, the Great Railway Show is tomorrow! We can go to the Steamworks to see everyone off! How does that sound?" He suggested. Philip remained distracted.

"Vinnie's right...I'm _never_ going to the Great Railway Show…" He muttered. His driver tried to think of something more to say, but he couldn't, so he simply turned on his heels and returned to the sheds.

"Good night, Philip." He called. Philip simply sat in his sheds, before beginning to cry until he fell asleep.

* * *

 **Chase:** Not a lot to say about this chapter, but know that Vinnie's weak brakes are going to come into play later.

 **Don:** What he said.

The show grows ever closer! See the engines finally head on their way, but not without a road bump and a change of plan or two in the eighth chapter, "Catastrophe!"


	8. Catastrophe!

The Great Railway Show had arrived, and Team Sodor was meeting at the Steamworks before heading on their way to the showgrounds. The Fat Controller was standing proudly alongside a photographer, who was preparing to take a picture of the engines. James, Thomas, and Henry all stood in one proud line, while Stephen had been hoisted onto a flatbed and was currently placed alongside Henry. Vinnie stood off on a siding, out of frame and brooding. Some of the other engines had come to say good luck, and were very impressed with the lineup.

"You look like a proper team!" Edward chuckled. Percy grinned cheekily.

"Well, they _would,_ but Gordon isn't here quite yet, is he?" He remarked. Emily raised an eyebrow.

"You'll be late if you don't leave soon! Where is Gordon?" She asked the Fat Controller. He quickly ran up to the door of the Steamworks and called in.

"You almost done, Victor?" Soon enough the reply came.

"Yes, sir! He's just about ready for his grand unveiling! Out you go, Gordon!" The engines heard a familiar whistle, but quite an unfamiliar engine followed it. Everyone present's jaws dropped when they saw the engine that came out of the Steamworks. Even Vinnie seemed mildly impressed.

"Gordon?" Edward asked, astonished.

"You're-" Emily began.

" _Streamlined!_ " Percy interrupted, excitedly. Sure enough, Gordon was. He had a slick, sky blue livery, complete with dark blue, red, and silver stripes all around. By his own request, he had the insignia of a star on his running board, and his number was in a dark blue circle on his tender. He looked very smart.

"You did a fine job on Gordon, Victor. I'm very proud of you!" The Fat Controller looked at Victor, who smiled modestly. However, before he could respond, Gordon cleared his throat.

"Excuse me, sir, but while I am streamlined, I would like to be known as the 'Shooting Star'!" He grinned grandly. Percy raised an eyebrow.

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!" He replied, but no one seemed to notice. The Fat Controller then turned to address the engines lined up in front of the Steamworks.

"James, Thomas, Henry, Stephen, and Gordon-"

" _Shooting Star,_ sir."

"Yes, _Shooting Star,_ my apologies. You have all been chosen to represent Sodor, in the Great Railway Show. However, this also means that you'll…" As the Fat Controller gave his speech, Kevin tried to get a view from inside the Steamworks. In an attempt to see the speech, he rolled over to a corner. He suddenly saw something that made him turn white as a ghost.

"Oh no." He whispered under his breath. Quickly, he dashed towards Victor, who was listening attentively to the Fat Controller's speech on sportsmanship.

"Victor! Victor!" He hissed. Victor shushed him.

"Kevin, don't be rude! The Fat Controller is speaking!" He replied back. Kevin's eyes quickly darted between the object in the corner and Victor before trying to speak again.

"But, Victor-"

"It can wait, Kevin!" Kevin rolled towards the object, and picked it up with his hook. Quickly he dashed towards Victor again.

"Victor!" He hissed again. Victor rapidly shushed him. Kevin groaned nervously, and quickly began dashing around the back of the engines, waving the object around as much as he could. The Fat Controller was just finishing his speech.

"...and that's why I know that you all shall represent Sodor splendidly!" The ending of this speech was greeted with cheers and whistles, drowning out Kevin's calls to get everyone's attention. The photographer grinned as he readied his camera, and Kevin swerved violently, waving the object around rapidly.

"Say 'Sodor'!" The photographer called. Team Sodor grinned.

"Sodor!" If they had studied the photograph, they would have seen Kevin losing his balance and toppling over in the background. The little crane groaned, but was even more distraught when he realized where the object he had been holding went.

"Oh no!" The object rolled across the floor and under a piece of machinery. Kevin grimaced in fear. Outside, the Fat Controller climbed aboard James' cab.

"Off we go, everyone!" He called. Edward, Percy, and Emily whistled as they reversed out of the way, allowing Team Sodor's engines to begin heading off for the show one by one. They each whistled triumphantly as they began their journey down the line. Victor looked to his right, and was surprised to see Vinnie waiting with a scowl on his face.

"Aren't you going with them?" He asked. Vinnie glared at him.

"I ain't bein' associated with dem, so I'm givin' 'em a bit of a headstart." He replied. Victor rolled his eyes.

"Well, while you're waiting here, do you want me to check anything over? Your wheels, your brakes-"

" _Don't talk about my brakes._ " Vinnie snapped, and whistled before rolling away from the Steamworks. The other three engines present watched him leave, before Edward looked at Emily.

"Huh."

"What's wrong, Edward?"

"Nothing, I just thought that Philip would be here. He always seemed so excited about the show…"

* * *

Team Sodor puffed down the line, approaching Vicarstown. Several crowds of people had come to see them pass through and started cheering and waving. James, who was in the lead, beamed proudly.

"Thank you, thank you! See, didn't I tell you all? I'm winning the hearts of everyone!" Thomas rolled his eyes.

"They're cheering for _all_ of us, James." James smirked back.

"Whatever you say…" The engines slowly rolled through, smiling at the crowds. A little boy pointed at Stephen.

"Look, daddy! It's 'The Rocket!'" Stephen noticed this and winked at him.

"Pe-yow!" He grinned. Thomas grunted enviously.

"Why do you get to be on a flatbed? Pushing you is hard work!"

"Well, lad, I can't exactly puff to the Mainland under my own power. It'd take me weeks!" Stephen laughed. "Besides, consider it _training_ for the shunting competition." Henry chuckled, though Thomas didn't understand and merely huffed. The people on the platform then noticed the now-streamlined Gordon at the back of the parade. Gordon smirked.

"I know, I'm quite the sight, aren't I? Don't worry, everyone!" He called. "You'll see me in the paper when I win the race!" Immediately, they started cheering louder. Everyone present rolled their eyes. Team Sodor puffed out of the station and towards the bridge. Vinnie slowly entered the station, trying not to be noticed. However, he heard a small buzz on the platform.

"Who's this?"

"He's massive!"

"Is he a new engine?" Vinnie looked away, but this only encouraged the crowd to try harder to be noticed.

"He doesn't talk much." The little boy from earlier commented. "Hello?" He called at Vinnie. The big engine's eye twitched and he picked up speed before the boy could say anything else. The Sodor engines in front all whistled loudly.

"Look out, Great Railway Show, here we come!" Thomas grinned, and the rest of Team Sodor all cheered in agreement.

* * *

Later that day, Philip arrived at the Steamworks, coming to drop off some spare parts.

"Hello, Victor." He greeted somberly. Victor grinned at him.

"Hello, my friend! A pleasure to see you! A shame you weren't here earlier, you just missed everybody leaving for the Great Railway Show!" He remarked. Philip became even sadder.

"Yeah. I guess I did." He rolled away to put the trucks on a siding, leaving a confused Victor behind.

"Was it something I said?" He asked, looking in the direction Kevin would be, only to notice the little crane rummaging under a machine, desperately trying to strongarm his hook underneath it.

"Kevin? What are you doing? You've been acting so strange all day-"

"I got it!" Kevin whooped happily as he managed to pull a familiar golden object from underneath the machine. His joy over retrieving the object was quickly interrupted by Victor.

"Kevin, _what is that?_ " He asked in horror. Kevin looked at it.

"Oh, right. It's Gordon's safety valve, Victor! He must have been rushing us so much we forgot to apply it!" Victor went pale.

"Oh no. He's competing in a _race_! His boiler will heat up and he could _explode_! We just sent a _ticking time bomb_ to the Great Railway Show!" Kevin gasped.

" _Panic!_ _AHHHHHH-_ "

" _I_ can't take it there, the narrow gauge tracks don't go that far! We have to stop him! We need someone to help Gordon! WE NEED SOMEONE TO _GO TO THE GREAT RAILWAY SHOW!_ " Victor cried as Kevin drove circles around him screaming. At the back of the Steamworks, Philip had just left his trucks on a siding when he heard Victor's yelling.

"Hmm?" Suddenly, an idea flew into Philip's radiator. He quickly dashed inside the Steamworks.

"Victor! I could go to the Railway Show!" Kevin, still screaming and running in circles, promptly swerved to avoid Philip, overbalanced, and somersaulted towards the corner of the building. Philip and Victor winced at the sound of Kevin landing on a pile of spare parts.

"I'm okay!" The woozy crane called, upside down upon the pile. Victor looked to Philip.

"You, Philip? But, we need someone fast-"

"I am fast! I could catch up with them in no time, I promise! _Please,_ Victor!" Victor looked conflicted.

"Well-"

" _Please!_ " Philip begged, tears beginning to appear in his eyes. Victor took a deep breath and sighed.

"Alright, Philip. Get to the show as quick as you can!" A workman handed Philip's driver the safety valve, who placed it in the cab. Philip honked his horn.

"Thank you so much, Victor! I'll get to the show, you'll see!" He called as he left the Steamworks.

"Find Gordon and bring him the safety valve!" Victor called back, concerned.

"Will do!"

* * *

Philip was bursting at the seams with excitement as he dashed along the Main Line towards the Vicarstown Bridge. He rolled through Vicarstown Station, where Emily was waiting with the local.

"Philip, where are you going?"

"To the _GREAT RAILWAY SHOW!_ " Philip cried, overjoyed. As he sped towards the bridge, he began to sing.

" _It's gonna be special! It's gonna be great!_

 _I'm off to the Mainland without coaches or freight!_ " As Philip approached the bridge, he noticed it was up, and a ship was passing under. He braked to a halt, but simply sat impatiently for the ship to go by.

" _I begged and I pleaded, and now I shall go!_

 _I am helping Gordon at the Railway Show!_ " The bridge slowly began to lower, and Philip got more and more giddy as he imagined everything he would see.

" _I'll see new engines, past engines, strong engines, FAST engines..._

 _Everyone who's any engine's getting to go!_ " The Vicarstown Bridge was finally down, and Philip began to roll across, picking up as much speed as he could.

" _Now I am helping Gordon at the Railway Show!_ " The boxcab dashed onto the Mainland, towards the Great Railway Show.

* * *

 **Chase:** The decision of having Philip be the engine to take the safety valve to the show instead of Thomas was one we had made since the beginning, and we knew we wanted Philip to have Thomas' role of wanting to go to the show. His reprise of "Will You, Won't You" (known as "I am Helping Gordon at the Railway Show") was a fun way of us to keep the tension in this moment high without having to go through the canon special's _awful_ bridge jump sequence. We personally thought him having one more roadblock before heading off to the show was a better move to escalate the tension; you _don't_ need to defy gravity in order to keep a movie exciting!

 **Don:** Speaking of Gordon's safety valve, we made sure to properly establish why he didn't have it fitted. In the original, Gordon was simply too impatient to finish his safety check, whereas here, Kevin forgets as Gordon rushes him through the job. Kevin actually has quite a bigger role than I initially expected, more so than Victor, at least. It's been fun writing his comical shenanigans and giving him more to do, as it gives the Steamworks scenes a bit more flavor than just Gordon anticipating beating his brother time and time again.

Philip's off to the Railway Show, and we're about to be reunited with the international engines again! But what are they all like? And how do the competitions work? Find out in the ninth chapter, "Meet Who to Beat", which may have a few faces you aren't expecting!


	9. Meet Who to Beat

"Welcome, you fans of speed! Welcome, fans of steam! Welcome, one and all, to this year's _Great Railway Show!_ " The crowd went wild as the black side tank engine speaking into a microphone attached to his smokebox grinned. He looked to his partner, a black saddletank engine who also had a microphone, and winked.

"Told you they'd like us!" He remarked, before continuing.

"Only here can you witness the mightiest locomotives from all over the world competing in feats of strength, speed, and skill! I am one of your commentators, Jinty…"

"...and I am your other commentator, Pug." The saddle tank engine added in a voice significantly less enthusiastic and far calmer than that of his co-host. Jinty grinned before continuing.

"We will be providing commentary for each of these events for the viewing pleasure of those of you at home, and giving you the rundown on the biggest annual railway sports event in the world!" Pug cleared his throat.

"For those of you who are new to the world of railway sports, we'll explain the rules of the four components of the Great Railway Show. First up, opening our show, is the Best in Show Parade." Jinty grinned.

"And what a parade it is, Pug! As part of the opening ceremonies, the world's best looking engines will all participate in a parade led by Stephenson's Rocket himself! Very exciting, isn't it, Pug? Seeing an engine who shaped hist-"

"Jinty, _the rules._ "

"Yes, right, of course. Depending on how our competitors 'strut their stuff' so to speak, they shall be awarded points by a panel of judges! Whoever receives the most points for appearance, style, and popularity with the crowd wins! Next is the Shunting Competition…" Jinty looked to Pug, who chuckled and rolled his eyes before continuing.

"The Shunting Competition is a time trial in which contestants will have to arrange a train from a randomly organized selection of trucks-"

"Trucks so gracefully organized by the team of our wonderful and talented event coordinator and head referee, Ulli! Give him a hand everybody!" Jinty grinned, and the crowd cheered and clapped. In another part of the yard, a red and yellow diesel shunter who looked like he hadn't slept in weeks grinned for a brief moment as the crowd cheered, before his face returned to its natural scowl. Pug cleared his throat again, before Jinty blushed and looked away, allowing the saddletank to continue.

"As I was saying, the Shunting Competition is a time trial in which contestants arrange a train from a randomly organized selection of trucks. An arrangement that, prior to getting out on that track, they have _never_ seen-"

" _Completely_ blind, folks!" Jinty added.

"Whoever shunts a seven-truck-and-brakevan train, the event standard, in the fastest amount of time wins." He looked to Jinty, who grinned eagerly at having a chance to speak again.

"Following that is the third event, the Strength Competition! Engines competing will be coupled to a flatbed piled high with the heaviest steel girders in the British Isles! I had a chance to attempt to push one myself, and let me tell you all, it is _hard_ to move! Whichever engine manages to reach the finish line first, while being held back by their heavy load, will win! Which finally, brings us onto the moment you've all been waiting for…" Jinty and Pug smirked at each other before speaking together.

"The Great Race!" The crowd went utterly insane, before Pug spoke.

"Yes, folks, you're very familiar with this crowdpleaser. Five engines will race around a specially designed loop of track in a test of raw speed. Whoever reaches the finish line first wins." Jinty grinned.

"Looking at the competition this year, Pug, I'd say we're in for a _very_ interesting show! Sodor is entering the fray for the first time, popular competitors have _changed events…_ " Pug chuckled.

"Yes, Jinty, I'd say this is going to be a very interesting show indeed! Coming at you next, exclusive interviews with all our contestants! Stay tuned!"

"Bring 'em to commercial, Albert!" Jinty grinned.

* * *

Team Sodor were astounded by the sight of the showgrounds, although a close behind Vinnie didn't seem very focused on it. Red and yellow diesel shunters raced around the yards, shunting trucks to their proper places. One such diesel was waiting impatiently for the engines to arrive, and raised an eyebrow at the Fat Controller when he stepped down from James' cab.

"You're late." He snapped. The Fat Controller looked to him, scratching the back of his head.

"Apologies, we had a bit of a late start this morning, but we're all here now!" The diesel smirked.

"Hello, Team Sodor. I am Ulli, event coordinator. Members of my team will show you all to your specialized area." Four other diesel shunters with equally disillusioned and exhausted expressions rolled alongside Ulli, and he looked at them.

"Best in Show, go with Boris." One of the diesels grunted.

"Shunting, go with Igor." As did another.

"Strength, go with Dimitri." This diesel simply raised an eyebrow.

"Great Race, you go with Andrei."

"Da." Andrei grunted. Team Sodor (and Vinnie) shared glances before Ulli cleared his throat.

"Chop, chop!" He rolled away, and the engines began following their respective shunters.

* * *

Andrei slowly headed towards the racetrack, Gordon trailing behind. Gordon looked around the yard and spotted a familiar engine taking on coal and water. He smirked and puffed closer.

"Well, hello, _Scotsman_." Flying Scotsman chuckled.

"Nice to see you could make it, _little_ …" He broke off as Gordon braked alongside him. Scotsman gaped at Gordon's new shape. "...b-brother?" Gordon smirked.

"Surprised, are you, Scott?" Scotsman tried to hide his shock.

"Of course not, it's just I thought you'd be coming as… yourself, Gordon-"

"Shooting Star." Scotsman paused.

"Ah… Yes, well, regardless, I'm excited to race you formally, little brother. I-"

"If you expect an easy victory this time, Scott, you're wrong. This time, _I'm going to win_." Scotsman raised an eyebrow.

"We'll just have to see about that, won't we?" He whistled and started puffing away.

"Good luck, little brother!" He called back, rolling past a completely disinterested Andrei. Gordon seethed angrily and tried to follow only to bump into some buffers. He groaned loudly.

* * *

James was led to a part of the yard where four other engines were waiting. He raised an eyebrow, as he recognized one of them very clearly.

"Is that…?" He muttered, and rolled closer. The engines were having a conversation.

"Come on, Carlos! I get that your switching to this event was somewhat last minute, but you could have put a _little_ more effort into your appearance!" An elaborately decorated Indian engine with a crown mused. Carlos, a Mexican engine with an older face and not much decoration at all, scoffed.

"Like you said, last minute! I hadn't any time, chico!" Rajiv smirked.

"Took you that long to get over not competing in the strength competition, eh, _old man_?" He laughed. A goldenrod tank engine covered in blue flags and streamers, who spoke with a Cockney accent, shot Rajiv a knowing glance.

"Now, now, Rajiv, we all get old eventually. I think the parade's a nice change of pace; The Shunting Challenge is always a _nightmare_ on the nerves!" The tank engine heard an excited gasp, and a whistle. James grinned excitedly as he rolled closer to an old friend.

"Stepney! I didn't know _you_ were here!" Stepney the Bluebell Engine smiled warmly.

"James! I _thought_ I heard you were participating in this! How've you been?" James smirked.

"I've been _wonderful,_ Stepney! I've been ready to win this event ever since I heard I was participating!" Suddenly, James heard Rajiv scoff, and raised an eyebrow at him.

"What?" Rajiv chuckled, before rolling his eyes.

"Oh, nothing! It's just, well...you aren't really _decorated,_ are you?" James turned as red as his paintwork as the Indian engine smirked.

"I don't _need_ to be decorated! My red paint is enough on its own!" He snapped. Rajiv simply laughed.

"Oh, please! Don't think that you're going to win just because you're being minimalist-"

" _Minimalist!?_ " James fumed. A larger red tender engine rolled forwards to diffuse the situation.

"Now, now, you two, calm down; the parade hasn't started yet!" He chuckled, before looking to James.

"My name is Yong Bao of China. It is a pleasure to meet you." Yong Bao smiled warmly. James simply subsided into grumbling, before Stepney rolled alongside Yong Bao.

"Seeing as he's a little too grumpy to introduce himself, I suppose I might as well; this is James of Sodor, everyone!" James smiled as the other engines (except Rajiv) whistled to greet him. Stepney grinned.

"James, you've already met Yong Bao, and this is Carlos of Mexico and Rajiv of India!" Rajiv smirked at James before looking to Carlos.

"Look out, Carlos! Someone's trying to steal your 'non-decorated' thunder!" James was angry all over again.

"I. Don't. Need. To. Be. _Decorated_." He snarled. Rajiv laughed.

"If you want to look even half as good as me, you do!" James groaned in anger.

"You know what? I'll beat you in this parade, and then you'll have to admit that I look better than you!"

"Try me!" As Rajiv and James squabbled, Yong Bao gave Stepney and Carlos a glance.

"James is a very... _vain_ engine, isn't he?" He remarked. Carlos snorted.

"Yes, but so is Rajiv, eh?" Stepney chuckled.

"They have a lot in common, those two! They could be good friends if they weren't so puffed up!" Yong Bao and Carlos grunted in agreement.

* * *

Thomas also arrived in his part of the yard, nearby a canvas wall obscuring the remainder of the tracks, in the middle of another conversation.

"I don't even know why you all bother showing up! I've won this event for the last five shows; I'm simply the best shunter in the world!" A Brazilian engine boasted to three other engines. A brightly painted Indian engine smirked at him.

"I don't know, Raul; I think you're finally feeling your age!" A smaller Italian engine chuckled.

"Maybe you ought to retire, like Stepney!" Raul snorted indignantly.

" _Ridículo!_ I'm still in my prime! I-"

"We've all been training for months for this competition! You can't just expect to win because you have before!" The Indian engine snapped back. The Italian engine chuckled.

" _You've_ just been sitting pretty in Brazil, Raul! Probably bulking up on Welsh Co-"

" _They never proved anything and I STILL WON!_ " Raul shouted indignantly. Thomas stifled laughter, before Raul shot him a glare.

"What are you looking at? Are you trying to pick a fight, _azulzinho?_ " Thomas stammered.

"Well, n-n-no, I-" A diesel engine rolled over before Thomas could speak further.

"Back down, Raul. We've all worked for this, it's not just you!" Raul glared intensely at Thomas, before reversing away towards the canvas, grumbling in Portuguese to himself. The diesel let out a sigh.

"Apologies. Raul is the exception, not the rule. I promise we are all _far_ more pleasant than him." Thomas blushed in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"Hi, 'Sorry'. My name is Ivan of Russia!" The Russian diesel laughed a deep belly-laugh, and Thomas couldn't help chuckling too. The Indian and Italian engine rolled towards Thomas.

"You're Thomas of Sodor then?" The Indian engine greeted. Thomas smiled.

"Yes, I am!" The Italian engine rolled forward and smirked at him.

" _Ciao,_ Thomas. I'm Gina, from Italy. Looking forward to beating your time, _bello._ " She winked at him before scampering away, giggling. Thomas blushed, but the Indian engine clearing her throat snapped him out of it. She chuckled.

"Gina's like that sometimes. I'm Ashima. I'm from India, and it is a pleasure to meet you, Thomas." Thomas smiled, but he still appeared concerned. Ashima raised an eyebrow.

"Is something wrong?" The Sudrian looked away.

"Well, you all have prepared so much, and, well, I don't really feel that prepared at all." Ashima smiled warmly.

"Don't worry, Thomas. If you're here, I'm sure your shunting skills will be more than enough to keep up. All you have to do is be confident, and maybe you might even win!" Thomas smiled back. He liked this Indian engine.

"I don't know if anyone would ever give _you_ that advice, Ashima. Your paintwork has all the confidence you'll ever need!" Ashima chuckled, before shooting a glance at Gina, who was filling up on water.

"You could say that…" She winked at Gina, who grinned.

* * *

Henry and Vinnie had been led to the Strength Competition by Dimitri, with Stephen puffing alongside, giving Henry the last of his advice.

"Now, Henry, remember, _focus._ You know what to do, so do it! I'll be watching from the sidelines!" Henry grinned.

"Will do, coach!" Stephen grinned.

"Atta boy, Henry. I've got to lead the parade, but I'll be cheering you on as soon as I can!" He whistled and slowly rolled away to another part of the yard.

"Break a leg!" He called as he disappeared from sight, Dimitry soon enough following. Henry remained confident and rolled forwards towards his other competitors. Vinnie rolled his eyes and began grumbling.

"Great, now I gotta deal with dis loser in da _actual_ competition...training...pah! I-WHOA!" The big engine had seen that Henry had stopped in front of him and quickly slammed his brakes on. They screeched loudly, shooting sparks. Vinnie groaned.

"What's da big idea?" He snapped, but got no reply. Henry wasn't confident now; he was simply staring. In front of him were the other three competitors of the strength competition and they were all much, _much_ larger than Henry. At least he recognized one of them.

"Oh, hello, Hiro!" The green engine smiled nervously. Hiro smiled amiably.

"Henry! Always a pleasure to see you! How are you?" Henry chuckled.

"Pretty excited to finally get to this competition: I've been training all month with Stephen!" He heard an indignant snort from a large blue engine, and the big dark green engine next to her shot her a glance.

"Don't be a bounce, Frieda!" He scolded in an soft-spoken Australian accent. The German engine, Frieda, rolled her eyes. The Australian chuckled before giving Henry a friendly glance.

"Sorry 'bout her, Frieda can be a little...hardcore. Name's Shane, from Down Under. Pleasure to meet ya, mate. Let's put on a good show for the crowds today, eh?" He gave Henry a wink. Frieda rolled her eyes again before scowling at Shane.

"Shane, this is not vun of your silly tours. This is _Great Railway Show,_ and, more importantly, _competition._ This is not time to be 'putting on show', as you say. This is time to _vin,_ and I vill, for Deutschland. Hmph." Frieda looked away, before Shane gave Henry a knowing glance.

"Like I said, mate. _Hardcore._ " He chuckled. Hiro rolled alongside Shane.

"Well, Henry, our flatbeds are over there. We might as well go there to wait for the fifth competitor." Before Henry could respond, he heard a voice from behind him.

"I'm _already_ here!" Vinnie, who had reversed to switch tracks and go around Henry, rolled alongside. Frieda shot him a nasty glare.

" _You! Du dreckiger, liegender Betrüger! Wie kommst du darauf, dass du das Recht hast, hier wieder dein Gesicht zu zeigen, du nicht so guter Tier! Ich-_ " As Frieda berated Vinnie, Henry shot Hiro a glance, before the Japanese engine began to explain.

"Last show, Frieda almost won but Vinnie managed to pass her at the last minute. According to Frieda, he cheated and his driver threw something on the line that got caught under the wheels of her flatbed, but the cameras didn't catch it. She's hated him since." To stop Frieda's shouting, Shane rolled forwards.

"Alright, easy, ladies! You're both pretty!" He shouted, surprisingly loud for his normally soft-spoken tone. Frieda stopped her shouting, but gave Vinnie a nasty glance and narrowed her eyes.

" _Wenn Sie diesmal betrügen, wird niemand den Körper finden_ _._ " She whispered menacingly, before rolling towards the starting line. Vinnie winced for a moment, before scowling at Shane, Hiro, and Henry.

"Get a move on, will ya!" He snapped, before rolling towards the starting line. The other engines followed, and soon enough had all reversed into position.

"And now, we wait." Shane remarked under his breath. Henry looked to Vinnie next to him, who seemed to be scanning the stands.

"Looking for someone, Vinnie?" Henry asked, causing the Canadian engine to quickly look away.

"No. Mind ya own beeswax." He snapped. Henry stopped for a moment, before smiling.

"Well, Vinnie. Seeing as we trained together, I just wanted to wish you good luck!" To Henry's surprise, Vinnie shot him a sharp glare.

"Ya don't win with luck, Herring. Ya win by _doin' whatever it takes._ " He gave a glance to Frieda, who was simply staring at the line ahead of her, before looking back at the stands. Henry cringed, and began waiting as well.

* * *

Gordon had finally been led to the racetrack, where the other engines were all waiting. He saw Flying Scotsman again, alongside Caitlin, and two engines he was completely unfamiliar with. He glared intensely at Scotsman's tender for a moment, before hearing Andrei clear his throat.

"What, are you waiting for a tip or something?" He snapped. Andrei rolled his eyes and rumbled away as Gordon approached the starting line. As the Shooting Star steamed alongside his brother, he found that the famous engine had a smile on his face watching the conversation between the other three.

"...Mademoiselle, I am, how you say, _enchanted,_ that you would do us ze honor of racing alongside us." An electric engine with a thick French accent said. Caitlin blushed.

"Why, thank you! I'd say that I'm pretty...enchanted, too! I suppose." She chuckled, before the other engine scoffed.

"Hah! Etienne may 'ave a silver tongue, cherie, but 'e can only go where eez pantograph can take 'im. _I,_ on ze other 'and, am a steam engine, so I can go anywhere I want, no?" The Belgian engine smirked, before Etienne began to laugh.

"Axel, mon frere, you never cease to amaze with your, 'ow you say, delusions! Just because I 'ave a pantograph does not mean that I am not fast!...But of course, not as fast as you, Mademoiselle Caitlin." He grinned, flashing his shiny teeth. Caitlin turned redder than ever. Scotsman laughed before looking at Gordon.

"Oh, hello, Gordon! I-"

" _Shooting Star._ "

"Ah, yes, Shooting Star. Caitlin might think she's very popular, but I think she's just gotten in the middle of Axel and Etienne! France and Belgium are always at each other's throats in this show, and those two will go to any lengths to outdo each other! Very nice fellows if you talk to them outside the show, though." Scotsman waited for Gordon to respond, but raised an eyebrow when he saw his brother simply staring at the racetrack.

"Gordon?"

" _Shooting Star._ If you don't mind, _Scott,_ I'd like to focus a bit before this race starts! That way, I can be completely focused for when I _beat you._ " Scotsman was taken aback, before looking away.

"Suit yourself." He paused awkwardly, before looking up at the sky and speaking again.

"Nice weather we're having." He remarked. Gordon shot him a glare.

"Personally, I think it's _too hot._ " He snapped, and returned to staring at the racetrack. Gordon _was_ too hot, but it wasn't because of the weather…

* * *

 **Chase:** Hoo boy, lots to discuss in this chapter! First of all, the surprise return of the Railway Series' Jinty and Pug as the announcers of the Great Railway Show, with Albert (yes, _that_ Albert, from the Railway Series as well) as their unseen cameraman. This idea came up when we had actually already outlined the special already, and as a result we incorporated them in their one scene to explain the revamped order and rules of the competitions. They will appear in the background of the rest of the show, commentating on every single event, hopefully providing a bit of humor with Jinty's more upbeat and excitable personality contrasting with Pug's more lowkey and sarcastic one. While they will be only in the background the special itself for the most part, they _do_ have a big role to serve when we get around to the bonus features of this special...but more on that later. Also making a surprise return (or rather, premature appearance) is _Journey Beyond Sodor's_ Ulli, one of the Mainland Diesel Shunters, who has been repurposed as the Event Coordinator of the Great Railway Show as a means of giving more identity to the show's diesels. In addition to Ulli, we decided to give them all Russian names that were just as goofy as his, and thus the characters of Boris, Igor, Dimitri, and Andrei were born. We have also significantly reorganized the way the Great Railway Show works. We changed the order of the competitions for dramatic reasons, so we could have a way to build up to the Great Race by having the other engines participate in their challenges before it. The Shunting Challenge has also been remade from the ground up as a time trial, making it more distinct from the other "finish first" events as well as preventing it from being an accident waiting to happen like in the canon special (though, don't worry, "POINTS" and "that's my boy", the actual special's highlights of the shunting challenge, will appear in some capacity here).

 **Don:** We tried making the other international engines more distinct from each other, as opposed to practically being interchangeable. Admittedly, most don't play a huge part in the plot but hopefully you can still pick up on their personalities. Here are a few examples: Rajiv serves as James' rival as both are extremely egotistical, and Rajiv's whole "royal engine" shtick has carried over from Season 22. Axel and Etienne are rivals that like to try and one-up the other. Raul is a jerk who is protective of his shunting record, and as established, he grows to dislike Thomas. Also, the engine who is now in the Best in Show instead of Emily is Stepney. It's a similar situation to Caitlin in which we used a preexisting character to fill a slot. He's also there as a means of liaison between James and the other engines in the parade, and we'll see that a bit more next chapter.

So the Great Railway Show is about to begin! Who will win? Who will lose? Will Philip get to the show in time with Gordon's safety valve? Find out in the tenth chapter, "Third Time's the Charm"!


	10. Third Time's the Charm

"Welcome back, folks, to the Great Railway Show!" Jinty grinned as the crowd cheered. "Just in time for the Best in Show parade! Isn't that lucky, Pug?"

"It's… designed that way, Jinty-"

"Look, there it is now! Let's watch and see who will be our first winner of this year's _Great Railway Show_!" Pug rolled his eyes.

"You don't have to say it like that every time, you know." He muttered.

"I know, but I like to."

"Do those two _have_ to be there?" James grumpily asked from nearby. "They're distracting me!" Jinty and Pug shared a glance. Stepney chuckled from behind James.

"It's a part of the show, James. You'll get used to it." Rajiv smirked.

"What's the matter, James? Are you camera-shy?" James' face grew as red as his paint, but before James could retort, a loud whistle blew. Stephen, first in line, grinned back at the others.

"Alright, everyone!" He called. "Let's give these people a parade they'll never forget!" He started slowly rolling forward, followed by Carlos, then Rajiv, then James, then Stepney, and finally Yong Bao.

"What a selection of engines this year, Pug. They look very stylish, don't they?"

"Indeed, Jinty. Except the one without decorations." Carlos grimaced. Rajiv snickered at James.

"He's talking about you." James scowled. Rajiv looked up at the crowd.

"Hello, everyone!" He smirked. "Look at my crown!" Rajiv glanced up at the crown atop his long funnel. The crowd oohed and ahhed at it, making Rajiv smirk. James glared.

"Look at _this_ , everyone!" He cut in. "Look at my _shiny red paint_!" Right after he said this, his recent coat glistened in the sun. The crowd turned their attention to it, as did the judges. The judges looked at each other, then disapprovingly at James, though he didn't notice. Rajiv gritted his teeth briefly before putting on a forced grin.

" _Look_ at my _crown_!" He demanded.

" _Look_ at my _paint_!" James cried with a forced grin of his own. Jinty chuckled.

"Looks like something's going on over there, Pug! What do you make of it?"

"Showboating; an event standard, Jinty." The two watched as James and Rajiv kept trying to overshadow the other. The judges took more notes. At last, the parade looped back where they had first started. Stephen braked to a gentle halt and the crowd started cheering again.

"What fun that was!" He remarked. "I'll have to come back next year!"

"Please do!" Jinty gushed. Pug rolled his eyes. The other engines also came to an elegant stop - all except for James, who braked too hard and bumped into the back of Rajiv. Rajiv glared back.

"Don't scuff my buffers!" He hissed. James rolled his eyes just as the announcement came in.

"And now that the parade has concluded, the judges will now tell us the winner, which is..." James gasped in anticipation.

"It's going to be me!" Rajiv gritted his teeth.

"No, _me_!"

"ME!"

"It's going to be-"

"RAJIV OF INDIA!"

"What a surprise, Jinty."

"-me! Wait, what?" James gaped in shock as Rajiv rolled forward so his driver could be handed the trophy. Rajiv grinned as the crowd went wild.

"Listen to that, Pug! Rajiv sure is a fan favorite!"

"I'm a… favorite too." James whimpered weakly. Stepney raised an eyebrow.

"...on Sodor."

"Even if you are, I'm afraid you can't win the event by taking it as 'casual Friday.'" Stepney remarked. "The judges prefer it when you're wearing... decorations."

"It's why Rajiv wins every time he competes." Yong Bao agreed. "I've heard he has a collection of trophies in his shed."

"A… c-c-collection?!" Stepney and Yong Bao shared a glance.

"Erm… never mind, James. There's always next year!" Yong Bao added hastily. James seethed furiously.

* * *

James was still grumbling when he rolled over to a part of the yard where he could watch the Shunting Competition. As he braked alongside Stephen, the Railway Show diesels rushed around the yard, placing trucks on various sidings. Behind the canvas, the contestants had gotten in a single-file line. Raul was at the front of the pack, smirking. From the other side of the canvas, they heard a voice.

" _Ladies and gentlemen, it's now time for the Shunting Competition!_ " Jinty announced excitedly from the other side of the wall. The crowd started cheering. Ivan, second in the order, looked back at the others and grinned.

"Good luck, everybody!" He called. He heard Raul stifle laughter and his eyes snapped forwards.

"Yes, Raul?" Raul chuckled.

" _You'll need it, perdedores._ "

"First up is Raul, of Brazil!" The crowd started cheering loudly, although there were a few very loud "BOO"s mixed in. The Brazilian engine snorted indignantly, and rolled forwards. Ivan, Gina, Thomas, and Ashima listened intently as the referee diesel counted down.

"3...2...1...BEGIN!" A loud siren sounded, and they heard the sound of Raul racing around the yard, ramming into trucks.

" _Unbelievable! Raul has gathered four trucks in the amount of time it would take a lesser athlete to shunt two; he's really bringing his A-game this year, Pug!_ "

" _What a ruddy tosser, Jinty."_ Thomas raised an eyebrow.

"I've shunted trains faster than that…" He muttered under his breath, before smirking.

"Maybe I've got a shot after all!" Soon enough, a loud siren sounded.

" _Raul has finished his time trial! What a brilliant display of shunting to be shown to start this year's competition! It'll be a tough time to beat, that's for sure!"_ Raul rolled through the canvas again, grinning confidently.

"Bam! Try and beat _that!_ " He laughed, and then went over to the resting area.

" _Next up, Russia's very own Ivan!_ " Ivan rolled through the barrier and began his trial. Thomas tried to listen, but heard a voice from behind him.

"Psst! Thomas!" Thomas looked back to see Ashima.

"Still feeling unconfident?" She asked. Thomas chuckled.

"No, Ashima, thank you! If Raul's what's considered fast, I think I have a decent shot!" Ashima smiled and rolled her eyes, before the siren rang again and Ivan rolled through the barrier, cringing as the sound of Jinty's voice echoed behind him.

" _Ivan is out of the running for the gold, leaving Raul with the time to beat!_ "

"Not my best. Oh, well. Good luck, Gina!" He honked his horn and Gina rolled forwards towards the barrier, shooting Raul a glare before heading through. Thomas looked at Raul, smirking at the prospect of his own victory, and chuckled.

"He's in for a surprise!" He muttered under his breath.

"So are you!" Thomas jumped as he heard a quiet voice from behind him. He looked back, but all he could see was Ashima whistling innocently. He raised an eyebrow.

"Huh." The siren sounded again, and Gina rolled through the barrier, clearly upset.

" _Without that blunder at the end, Jinty, Gina certainly would have been in the lead."_

" _Shame she miscounted and went for the brakevan before the last truck, Pug! She was a popular pick!"_

" _What a shame indeed, Jinty, but Raul remains the time to beat."_ Gina grumbled under her breath as she rolled past.

"Stupido, stupido, stupido, stupido…" Thomas rolled towards the barrier, before taking a deep breath.

"Good luck, Thomas!" Ashima called. Thomas smiled back.

"Thanks, Ashima!" Thomas rolled through the barrier, and found himself looking at a vast yard, with trucks placed all over. He quickly scanned, trying to plan his route, as the countdown began.

"3...2...1...GO!" Thomas shot off like a rocket, whistling every time he needed the points changed.

" _Look at Thomas go, Pug! It seems he hasn't got the number one for nothing!"_

" _Indeed, Jinty, a sleeper pick for sure. Seems like Thomas might be a real contender!"_ Thomas grinned as he was coupled up to his fifth truck and shunted it towards the rest. He looked at the timer, and his time remained ahead of Raul's. He whistled happily as he buffered it up and went to fetch the last few trucks. Thomas dashed around the yard, fetching the end of the train, before finally coupling the brakevan up and whistling in triumph. The siren blared and the crowd cheered.

" _Ladies and gentlemen, Thomas is in the lead! What an exciting game this is!"_

" _Indeed it is, Jinty, but there's still one more competitor that needs to be slower than Thomas in order for him to win!_ " Thomas wasn't listening as he rolled through the barrier, tired but triumphant. Ashima smiled at him as she rolled by to begin her trial.

"Great job, Thomas!"

"Good luck!" The tank engine replied, and Ashima rolled through the barrier. In the rest area, Ivan and Gina greeted Thomas with cheers and whistles.

"Bravissimo, Thomas! Bravissimo!" Gina cheered. Ivan smiled.

"Excellent work, Thomas. I'm sure those on Sodor are very proud of you." Thomas blushed, but his eyes fell on Raul, whose teeth were gritted.

" _Finally, Ashima of India!_ " Raul rigidly smiled at Thomas as Ashima's starting siren blared, clearly holding back rage.

" _Good job._ " He forced, before his eye twitched. Thomas smirked.

"You alright with second then, Raul?" Raul's eye twitched again.

" _Second is perfectly respectable._ " He hissed. Suddenly, Thomas heard a loud cheer from Gina.

"Way to go, Ashima!" She and Ivan were watching Ashima go, but before Thomas could even look at the television set up in the rest area, Ashima's ending siren blared. His jaw dropped.

"Already?" Raul groaned loudly.

" _THIRD_ PLACE!?" The crowd clapped and cheered as Jinty's excited voice echoed.

" _AMAZING! ASHIMA HAS NOT ONLY WON THE SHUNTING COMPETITION, BUT SHE HAS ALSO SET A WORLD RECORD FOR THE EVENT! ASTONISHING! AHHHHHHHH!"_

" _Jinty, please save your voice, we have two more of these._ " Ashima rolled through the barrier, huffing with exhaustion. She smiled at Thomas confidently. The Sudrian tank engine sputtered.

"You...but...I-"

"Just because I'm well-painted doesn't mean I can't do anything else, Thomas!" She gave him a wink before rolling by.

"Good game!" Thomas' jaw dropped again.

"G-good game…"

* * *

James, Thomas, and Stephen sat near a water tower, talking about the losses sustained thus far.

"...She was so fast: I'd never seen anything like it! She certainly didn't _act_ it!" Thomas finished explaining. Stephen chuckled.

"No harm done, Thomas, you did your best! At least you were a good sport about it…" He gave James a knowing glance. The red engine snorted.

"I'm pretty sure I was _close_ …" He muttered. However, at the gates of the show, the security diesel had fallen asleep. He got a nasty shock when he heard a loud horn and a diesel boxcab rushed through.

"You can't be in here!" He called. Philip winced.

"Sorry, important delivery!" He was giddy at the sights of the Railway Show. Suddenly, he saw an engine on the line ahead, coming from the other direction, and gasped.

"Look out!" He cried. Carlos slammed his brakes on, and Philip managed to change tracks just in time. As Philip dashed past, Carlos groaned.

"Watch out! I'm not as young as I used to be, _ay dios mio…_ " He muttered, and continued on his way. James and Thomas, who had been watching the whole interaction, gave each other a horrified glance.

"Was that-" Thomas asked, but was cut off by the sound of Stephen's whistle.

"Look sharp, you two! The Strength Competition is about to start, and we have to go and support Henry!"

"But, Stephen, we saw-"

"Come on!" James and Thomas simply glanced at each other before apprehensively following behind Stephen.

* * *

Philip scanned the showgrounds, looking for Gordon.

"Gordon? Gordon?" He looked to one of the Railway Show diesels, rolling by with trucks from the Shunting Competition.

"Excuse me, have you seen a big blue engine named Gordon?" The diesel ignored him. Philip pouted, before an idea flew into his radiator.

"Oh, of course! Silly me, Gordon's _streamlined_ now! He won't look the same! Now, where could he be…" Philip looked around, before suddenly seeing the shape of a large blue tender engine waiting at a starting line, with a flatbed of girders sitting behind.

"There he is! Gordon! Gordon! I have-"

"GO!" All five engines started pulling forwards, leaving Philip to brake to a halt as a diesel blocked his way.

"Authorized personnel only!" The diesel snapped. Philip tried to look around the diesel, but he couldn't see "Gordon" as clearly.

"Bother! I'll have to go around!" He quickly scampered away. Back in the Strength Competition, Henry was pulling hard.

"Go on, Henry!"

"Go, Henry!" The green engine heard the cheers of Thomas and James and grinned determinedly. He had had a slow start, and, as a result, Vinnie was leading the pack. Henry managed to puff past Hiro, and then Shane.

" _Unbelievable, Pug! After a slow start, Henry from Sodor is starting to pick up the slack!_ "

" _Sodor's engines certainly are surprising in these events._ " Henry approached the rear of Frieda's tender, and began to feel short of breath.

"Oh, I can't go on! I can't go on!" He coughed. Vinnie heard him and grinned wickedly. However, Henry heard a loud voice from the sidelines.

"Keep on going, Henry! Keep puffing on!" His eyes snapped to Stephen, who was cheering loudest of all for him. Henry grinned determinedly, and began puffing harder. He managed to pass Frieda, who looked shocked.

" _Wie?_ " She shouted. Red in the face, Henry managed to come neck and neck with Vinnie. The Canadian engine smirked.

"Well, well, well! Didn't think you had second in you, Herring!" He taunted. Henry grinned right back.

"Funny, I could say the same thing for you!" Vinnie's grin turned to a snarl, and his eyes snapped back to the track ahead. No matter how hard he tried, Henry and him remained neck and neck, and the finish line drew closer.

" _It's going to be close!_ "

" _Very close indeed._ " Vinnie strained hard as he barely managed to pull ahead of Henry, but then…

"GORDON! GORDON! Oh, that's not Gordon. Oh, well. Gordon? Gordon?" Philip raced right across the track the Strength Competition was taking place on. Of course, all the competitors were too far away to be at any risk of hitting him. Well, all except one.

"GAH!" Vinnie yelped as Philip raced right across his path, slamming his brakes on. The boxcab was gone as quick as he appeared, but Vinnie found that he couldn't stop braking.

"NO! OPEN DA REGULATOR!" He shouted to his driver as he began to slow down. The driver stuck his head out of the cab window.

"It's no use! You know how fickle your brakes are!" Vinnie groaned as he began to come to a complete stop.

" _Why is Vinnie stopping?_ "

" _I don't know, Pug! I guess the cameras didn't catch it!"_ Henry gasped as the distance between he and Vinnie began to disappear. His eyes narrowed as the finish line approached.

"Good, better, best! Good, better, best!" He chanted to himself. Vinnie gasped as Henry burst through the finish line ribbon.

" _No!_ " The crowd went wild as Henry braked to a stop beyond the finish line.

" _Henry of Sodor has won this year's Strength Competition!_ " The green engine grinned triumphantly as he heard a chorus of cheers and whistles.

" _THAT'S MY BOY!_ " Stephen shouted through prideful tears. James and Thomas whistled happily. Frieda crossed the finish line next, followed by Shane, and then Hiro.

"Congratulations, Henry!" Hiro called.

"Cracking job, mate!" Shane whooped. Even Frieda cracked a smile.

"Good game, Henry. You vin fairly. I respect that." Henry smiled back, but he heard loud cheering from the stands.

" _Way to go, Henry!_ " The Fat Controller shouted, before throwing his top hat up in the air. It landed on the head of another man sitting next to him, dressed in a sharp grey suit with a matching bowler hat. The Fat Controller scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Apologies, my good man!" The man, however, seemed to be far too focused on Vinnie, who had just managed to limp across the finish line. He gave the bully engine a sharp glare, before shoving the Fat Controller's hat at his chest and walking away. The Fat Controller raised an eyebrow as he placed his hat back on his head. Vinnie had seen the man's glare and winced. He quickly was uncoupled from his flatbed and rolled past Henry.

"Good game, Vinnie!" Henry called as the other Sudrian engines surrounded him, but the Canadian engine simply ignored him. He gave a look of concern.

* * *

Philip was still looking around the Railway Show, but had yet to find Gordon.

"Gordon? Gordon?" He called, but suddenly found himself hitting another engine.

"Ouch!" He shut his eyes from the impact.

"Sorry about that! Have you seen a big blue engine from Sodor called Gordon? He's competing in the...the...the…" Philip stammered in fear as his eyes opened. Looking straight down at him was Vinnie, who looked red in the face.

"Ohnoohnoohno-" To Philip's surprise, an unhinged smile cracked its way onto Vinnie's face.

"Heya, shrimp. How's it hangin'?" Vinnie hissed through his teeth.

"P-p-pretty o-o-okay. I'm t-t-trying to find G-G-Gordon. H-h-"

"Ya know how ya got in my way earlier?"

"D-d-did I? S-s-sorry, I-"

"Funny thing about dat is, I got _last place_ because of you."

"Oh." An awkward silence ensued.

"Should I go, or-"

" _I'M GONNA_ _ **KILL**_ _YA, YA LITTLE TWERP!_ " Vinnie erupted, and began to advance towards Philip, frothing at the mouth with rage. Philip began to back up, horrified.

"Wait! Y-you can't! I have to give Gordon his s-s-safety valve!"

"AND I HAVE TO GIVE YA DA _BEATIN' OF A LIFETIME!_ _SHRIMP'S_ ON DA MENU TONIGHT! _AHHHHHHHHHHH!_ " The bully shrieked and began to speed up, and Philip yelped as he continued to flee.

"WAIT! GORDON DOESN'T HAVE HIS _SAFETY VALVE!_ " The boxcab and bully raced past where the Sudrian engines were resting. They were significantly startled.

"Philip?" Stephen cried. Henry gasped.

"What did he say?"

"Gordon doesn't have his safety valve!" Thomas shouted.

"He's about to race! We have to stop him or he could explode!" Henry cried. Team Sodor quickly raced towards the racetrack, while Philip fled from Vinnie as fast as his wheels could carry him.

* * *

 **Chase:** And we've seen the first three events! We knew we wanted Henry to win the Strength Competition the moment we came up with his rivalry with Vinnie, and using Vinnie's weak and fickle brakes as a means of getting him in last place to drive his rage towards Philip was a lot of fun. In terms of the Shunting Challenge, we knew we still wanted Ashima to contribute in some way of value despite her decreased prominence in the special over all, and I think her winning the Shunting Challenge by a landslide was the proper move to make for our Ashima; deliberately unassuming but incredibly skilled.

 **Don:** As said in last chapter, James and Rajiv are rivals and playing that up during the Best in Show Competition was really fun to do. Having James lose to Rajiv because he didn't prepare enough was also a little arc tossed in that we had planned, and I think it came out pretty well.

Will the Sodor engines stop Gordon in time? What will happen with Vinnie and Philip? And who will win the Great Race? Find out in the eleventh, and penultimate, chapter: "The Great Race"!


	11. The Great Race

Gordon stood at the racetrack with the other competitors, anxiously waiting for the race to begin. Flying Scotsman smirked at him playfully.

"Good luck, little brother." His smoke deflectors slid forward. Gordon looked away.

"I won't need luck…" He chuckled and shut his eyes. Upon opening them, he looked towards Ulli, who was serving as the referee of the event. The diesel looked around before grunting as a cue to begin the announcements, and the crowd began to cheer as Pug's voice echoed over the loudspeakers.

" _And now, ladies and gentlemen, The Great Race._ "

" _You all love this one! Our five competitors here seem to have sparks of competition flying between all of them!"_

" _Indeed they do, Jinty. The ever popular rivalry between Belgium's Axel and France's golden boy, Etienne, seems to be in fuller swing than ever this year."_

" _But don't forget Pug, we have sibling rivalry this year as well! With Flying Scotsman of England and Sodor's G-um, Shooting Star, this is sure to be a race to remember!"_ Gordon smirked at his brother, who chuckled and rolled his eyes. Mysteriously, he seemed bigger than before.

"Have fun losing, _little brother._ " Flying Scotsman replied nastily. Gordon grinned as the announcements came to a close.

"I think _you'll_ be the loser here, Scott!" Ulli rolled forward on his siding.

"3…" Flying Scotsman smirked at Gordon.

"2…" Gordon grinned right back.

"1…" Axel, Caitlin, and Etienne seemed to disappear, as the world simply became Gordon, Scotsman, and the fans.

"GO!" Gordon and Flying Scotsman sped onto the racetrack, the world around them a blur. At first they were completely even, but Flying Scotsman was beginning to grow red-faced and exhausted.

"You're sure...phew...you can keep up with me-ugh-Gordon?" He panted. To his surprise, Gordon yawned.

"I'm just warming up!" He grinned, and suddenly increased his speed tenfold, rocketing along the line. Scotsman gasped.

" _What?_ " The Shooting Star laughed triumphantly, and began to sing.

" _Sorry, Scott, but your shadow'll no more smother,_

 _I guess that I will now become the bigger brother!_

 _Now have fun being second best,_

 _To my streamlining!_ " The crowds cheered wildly as Gordon rocketed around the racetrack, leaving a trail of flames on the rails in his wake.

"I don't _believe_ it, folks, but I believe the Shooting Star is on his way to setting a world rail speed record _here_ today!" Jinty gasped in excitement, Pug chuckled.

"Well, Jinty, of _course_ we should have expected it all along. He is, after all, fastest and best." Gordon rounded the final bend towards the finish line, only to see Scotsman coming up right behind him, considerably shrunken from his previous larger size.

"Oh, Shooting Star, I'm so sorry for teasing you! Can you ever forgive me?" He groveled.

"After I _win!_ " Gordon rocketed ahead towards the finish line, leaving his brother coughing on his dust. The crowd went wild as the ribbon grew closer and closer.

" _My clouds today will have a silver lining_

 _I'll see my famous brother get some undermining_

' _Cause I'm the cream; the best in steam!_

 _Streamlini-"_

* * *

"STOP!" Gordon's eyes shot open, snapping him out of his fantasy, as Henry, Thomas, James, and Stephen drew up on the line alongside him. He shot them a sharp glare.

"I appreciate the support, but there are stands for a reason! Can't you see I'm busy? I'm about to race!" He snapped. Thomas glared.

"Well, you can't! Not without your safety valve!" He replied. Gordon snorted.

"What do you mean?" Gordon's driver stepped out of the cab and onto Gordon's running plate to inspect.

"Bless me, he's right! They must have not reapplied it!" Gordon gasped in horror.

" _No!_ I _have_ to race! I _need_ to!" He spluttered. Axel and Etienne stopped their charming of Caitlin to look at Gordon.

"What eez going on?" Etienne asked.

"I zink 'e said zat ze Shooting Star does not have his safety valve!" Axel mused. Etienne snorted.

"Hah! 'Ow do you forget your safety valve?" He tried to stifle his laughter, before Axel shot him a glare.

"Now, now, Etienne! Eet could 'appen to any engine! Eet is not funny!" Gordon, already red with embarrassment and shame, shot the Belgian engine a grateful look, only to get a smirk in response.

"Eet is _very_ funny!" Axel cackled loudly, and Etienne joined in laughing at Gordon.

" _What's going on down there, Pug?"_

" _Well, Jinty, it appears that the Shooting Star has some sort of technical problem._ "

" _This just in! We have received a report that the Shooting Star is...missing his safety valve! He can't possibly race now!_ _How does an engine forget their safety valve?"_

" _Zero idea, Jinty. Seems pretty obvious to me."_ Gasps rippled through the crowd, leaving Gordon ashamed. Caitlin shot Axel and Etienne a nasty glare.

"Shame on you two! It's not funny!" She scolded. Flying Scotsman remained silent through the whole affair, looking at Gordon helplessly and trying to say something, but finding himself at a loss for words. Gordon heard the sounds of Axel and Etienne's laughter, along with the chattering of the crowd, and his eyes began to tear up.

" _No..._ I have to race! I need to win!" Ulli, now with a black and white referee headlamp, rolled around the Sudrian engines towards the racetrack.

" _Please,_ referee! I can still race! I promise I'll control my speed! You _have_ to let me race!" Gordon begged, tears beginning to roll down his cheeks. Axel and Etienne saw this and stopped laughing to glare.

"Oh, _great._ Now 'e is _crying_!" Axel declared.

" _Some of us_ are trying to race, you know! If you need to cry, go to a, 'ow you say, siding, no?" Etienne added. Anger appeared to be building up in Flying Scotsman, but he couldn't say anything. He simply remained silent. Ulli gave Gordon a sympathetic look.

"I'm sorry, but without your safety valve, I'm afraid that you have to be-" Suddenly, a loud whistle rang out and two engines raced across the junction onto the racetrack.

" _GET BACK HERE, YA LITTLE PILE OF_ _ **SCRAP**_ _!"_ Vinnie shrieked as he chased Philip onto Gordon's line.

"No! Please! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you lose! I-"

" _DON'T CARE! YOU'VE BEEN GETTIN' IN MY WAY FOR TOO LONG!_ " The duo began heading along the racetrack.

" _What's this? There appears to be an obstruction!"_

" _Vinnie of Canada and a diesel boxcab of mysterious origin have hijacked the Great Race!_ " There was a collective gasp among the Sodor engines.

"Philip's in danger!" James cried.

"We need to do something! Henry, you're fastest, chase after them!" Stephen commanded. Henry rolled forwards, but suddenly something hissed loudly and he groaned in pain before grinding to a stop.

"Gah! I've got a cramp! I can't catch up now, I'm not fast enough!" Gordon looked back at the space on his boiler where his safety valve should've been, and then looked at the racetrack ahead. Flying Scotsman heard Gordon suck up his tears and looked towards his brother.

"But _I_ am." Gordon said gravely, and whistled before racing forwards onto the track. Flying Scotsman gasped.

"Shooting Star, what are you doing!? You don't have your safety valve, your boiler could explode!"

"That's a risk I have to take!" He called back, and sped onwards. Team Sodor and Caitlin gasped.

"No!" Thomas cried.

"You can't!" Caitlin called, trying to roll forwards. Flying Scotsman rolled beyond the starting line, yelling at the top of his lungs.

" _Shooting Star, get back here right now! You're going to get yourself killed!"_ He cried, but his brother wouldn't stop. Tears begin to appear in Scotsman's eyes as his yelling got louder.

" _Shooting Star!_ " He remained ignored.

" _SHOOTING STAR, PLEASE!_ " He was now fully crying out of panic now.

" _ **GORDON!**_ " But his brother was long gone.

* * *

Gordon began to grow hotter and hotter as he caught up to Vinnie and Philip. The gap between the two had begun to significantly shorten, and the big bully was closing in. He smirked maniacally as Philip desperately tried to stay ahead.

"Oh dear, _shortie,_ looks like da race is _over for you._ " Vinnie reared back and rammed into Philip, sending the boxcab flying down the line, widening the gap again. Philip cried out in pain.

"Philip!" The boxcab looked to Gordon, who had managed to race alongside, his face growing bright red.

"Gordon? Is that you? I have your-"

"No time for that, Philip! Keep the gap between you and him as wide as possible! Phew…" He panted from the heat.

"Gordon! You're getting too-"

"That's _not_ important! Just listen to me!"

"Right!" Philip desperately tried to stay ahead. Gordon looked to the outside of the line and saw that a signalbox was close. Vinnie growled at him.

" _Dis ain't none of ya business!_ " He snapped. Gordon groaned from the heat emanating from his boiler, but called out to the signalbox as loud as he could.

"CHANGE THE POINTS!" He shouted, and the signalman obliged. Gordon was directed onto Philip and Vinnie's line, getting himself right between them. Vinnie growled as his skirt hit Gordon's rear bufferbeam.

" _OUT OF DA WAY!_ " He snarled. Gordon glared back.

"Never!"

* * *

" _Shooting Star has placed himself between Vinnie and the boxcab, and he's growing hotter than ever! I think he could be about to blow!_ " The Sudrian engines gasped.

"Stop!"

"Gordon, you have to stop! You could explode!"

" _GORDON, PLEASE!_ " Scotsman cried out, loudest of all, but all their shouts fell on deaf ears.

* * *

The heat was rising, and Gordon's driver poked his head out of the cab.

"Gordon! You're getting too hot!" Gordon grimaced as he looked back.

"Jump clear! Apply the brakes!" He called. The driver and fireman jumped clear into the ballast, leaving Gordon to desperately try to brake against the force of Vinnie pushing against him, but he wasn't strong enough. Vinnie cackled, unhinged.

" _YOU THINK YOUR BRAKES CAN STOP ME!?_ _ **I'M**_ _DA STRONGEST ENGINE IN THE WORLD! I SHOULDA WON DAT STRENGTH COMPETITION, YA HEAR ME? I ONLY_ _ **LOST**_ _BECAUSE DIS LITTLE FREAK GOT IN MY WAY! NOW, GET OUTTA IT!_ " He pushed even harder against Gordon, causing the big blue engine to push up again Philip's bufferbeam. Another signalbox approached.

" _SPEED UP!_ " Gordon shouted at Philip, who tried his best to oblige. It was a short gap, but it was enough.

" _Points!_ " Gordon shouted again, causing Philip to get directed onto another line while he and Vinnie raced onwards. Philip braked to a relieved stop, but Gordon and Vinnie shot on towards a sharp bend.

" _STOP SO I CAN GO BACK AND STOMP DAT SHRIMP!_ " Vinnie frothed at the mouth with rage. Gordon wasn't focused on him however; the heat had become unbearable.

"Hot! Hot! Hot!" He panted as his vision began to blur, his boiler beginning to warp. He saw the shape of another signalbox as they approached a sharp bend.

" _POINTS!_ " He wheezed. The signalman heard however, and switched Gordon and Vinnie towards the outside line. Vinnie tried to stop, but his weak brakes and their fast speed meant that they simply jumped the points and flew off the line. A loud whistling noise came from a red-faced Gordon's boiler as he shut his eyes tight to prepare for impact.

* * *

The engines at the starting line heard a loud crash from the racetrack.

" _They've jumped the rails! It's too dusty to see the extent of the damage, but-_ " Flying Scotsman didn't listen anymore to Jinty's voice, he simply raced onto the track.

" _GORDON!_ " He cried out, and Caitlin and the rest of the Sudrian engines followed him. They all went as fast as they could to get there, but Scotsman got there first.

" _Gordon!_ Are you alright? _Please_ be alright, please!" He begged, and the dust from the accident finally cleared. On one side, Vinnie had rammed into one of the trees alongside the line, and it had fallen on top of him.

"Ow…" He groaned in pain. On the other side, laying on his side, dented and trying to catch his breath but otherwise unharmed, was…

"Gordon! You're okay!" Scotsman shouted, crying tears of pure joy. The other engines cheered and whistled when they saw that Gordon was alright. Philip arrived last, with a big grin on his face.

"Gordon! That was amazing! You're a _hero!_ " He cheered. Gordon smiled as the other engines cheered.

"Well done, Gordon!"

"Good show, old boy!"

"Splendid work!" Gordon looked to Flying Scotsman, who was trying desperately to regain his composure.

"W-well done, G-Gordon." He sniffled. Gordon smiled at his brother, and was about to say something when he heard a familiar muffled voice from beneath the branches of the tree.

"Are you gonna get me outta here or what?" Vinnie snapped. The engines all looked at each other, before quickly rolling away to help with the rescue operation.

* * *

Ulli and his team brought cranes to rescue Gordon and Vinnie, and soon enough, the two had been placed back onto the rails. Gordon was shunted back to the starting line by one of the diesels, while Vinnie was moved to a siding out of the way. While his boiler hadn't exploded, Gordon was very damaged, and couldn't run under his own power. Ulli frowned as he rolled up and down his siding in thought.

"This won't do at all! The Great Race cannot possibly take place without five participants; it's always been that way!" The engines all watched him do so, before Stephen rolled forwards.

"I'm not nearly as fast as I used to be, but the show must go on!" He called, and began to roll towards the starting line. However, a voice cut him off.

"Hold on, Stephen." Stephen and the other engines looked towards Gordon, who appeared to be in thought.

"Eh? What's up, Gordon?" Gordon looked at Ulli.

"Referee, if I could make a recommendation for my replacement, I think _Philip_ would be an excellent candidate." Everyone gasped, including the boxcab himself.

" _Me?_ B-but-"

"Ee is far too slow!" Etienne laughed.

"You are pitting a tortoise against rockets!" Axel added. Gordon shot them a sharp glare.

"Philip is _very_ fast. Why, he even beat _me_ in a race once!" He gave Philip a wry wink, and this shut Axel and Etienne up. Ulli sighed.

"The show's been delayed long enough. I'll allow it. Proceed." He rolled aside, and Philip grinned as he rolled alongside Gordon.

"Thank you so much for giving me your spot, Gordon! I won't let you down! WOOHOO!" He honked his horn and eagerly rolled into the spot where Gordon had once stood, alongside Flying Scotsman. The famous engine gave him a friendly smile.

"Hello, Philip. Excited to race you!" He greeted. Philip squeaked.

" _He knows my name!_ " He whispered giddily.

* * *

"After a short break to clean up the interruption from earlier, welcome back to the final event of the Great Railway Show, the Great Race!" Jinty greeted the audience again. The crowd cheered loudly, and all the participants of the other events (minus Vinnie) whistled from the sidelines. Gordon, who couldn't whistle, contented himself to cheering.

"Go, Philip!" He shouted, louder than everyone else. Flying Scotsman heard this and gave Philip a bemused smile. He then looked to Axel, Caitlin, and Etienne, and assumed an expression of thought.

"Hmm…"

" _Now, to introduce the five contestants for this event: first of all, the electric icon, Etienne of France!_ " Etienne smirked as he wiggled his eyebrows and a spark flew from his pantograph.

" _The streamlined bombshell, Caitlin of America!_ " Mr. Claremont's cheer from the stands was loudest of all as Caitlin blushed at the attention she received, Team Sodor politely giving her a few whistle blasts.

" _The smooth-talking speedster, Belgium's very own Axel!_ " Axel grinned confidently at Etienne as the crowd cheered.

"They like me better, mon frere." He whispered, before giving the audience a wink.

" _The famous engine in the UK, The Flying Scotsman!_ " The Sudrian engines whistled as they had for Caitlin, this time with Stepney in their ranks.

" _In a bit of an unusual, but not unheard of considering last year's strength competition, circumstance for the Great Railway Show, we have a last minute contestant swap, Pug!_ " Carlos blushed in embarrassment at this remark, as the incident in question was his.

" _That's right, Jinty. Replacing the Shooting Star is...Philip of Sodor!_ " Team Sodor cheered loudly, and Gordon whooped and hollered from the sidelines. The crowd went wild for Philip, but the boxcab tensed up from all the attention.

"What if I let everyone down? What if I-" Flying Scotsman shushed him.

"Just try to have fun. That's what racing's all about, eh?" He gave the little boxcab a wink, and Philip grinned. Ulli rolled into place at the end of his siding.

"3…" Axel and Etienne gave each other a smirk of confidence.

"2…" Caitlin and Flying Scotsman grinned.

"1…" Philip grinned widest of all.

"...GO!" The engines shot off from the starting line. Quickly, Axel and Etienne were neck and neck for the lead, with Caitlin following close behind. Philip tried to keep up, but they were just too fast.

"Come on! Come on!" He panted, but his wheels couldn't turn any faster. However, there was one engine who was barely in front of him.

"You've almost caught up! Just a little more!" Flying Scotsman encouraged, and he began to slow down to get to Philip's speed. The boxcab frowned.

"You're way faster than me! What are you doing back here?" Scotsman chuckled.

"I'm feeling tired today...fancy a race?" He gave the boxcab a grin. Philip smirked back.

"You're on, but I'll win!" As Philip and Flying Scotsman remained even behind the rest of the engines, Team Sodor cheered loudly.

"Go Philip!"

"You can do it!" Gordon, however, simply watched his brother and the boxcab race with an enormous grin on his face.

* * *

Up ahead, Axel and Etienne remained neck and neck.

"France eez going to win this year, Axel! _Vive la France!_ " Etienne called, and honked his horn triumphantly as he attempted to draw ahead. Axel gritted his teeth.

"Oh no you don't!" His wheels pounded the rails as he sped up to draw level with Etienne. Behind them, Caitlin was trying to keep up, but found that the other two were simply faster when they were competing.

"Come on...stay focused, Caitlin, you've got this…" She muttered to herself, trying to speed up. The three engines rounded the bend towards the finish line, and the stands of cheering fans came back into view. Etienne smirked.

" _Bonjour! Vive la France!_ " He called to the crowd, and tried to wiggle his eyebrows and spark his pantograph, but he couldn't when he was going so fast. Axel gave his rival a glance.

"What are you doing?" He hissed.

"I am trying to do my spark trick; the crowds love eet, no?" Etienne gave it another attempt, but Axel simply confidently chuckled.

"Oh, Etienne, you are foolish. Your silly sparking eez not a real trick! _This_ eez a real trick, no?" As Axel and Etienne approached the stands, the former flashed a handsome grin and whistled, slowing down to wink at an unamused Frieda on the sidelines. Etienne rolled his eyes.

"I can do zat!" He began to slow down as well, and began winking at the sidelines. As Axel and Etienne rapidly winked at the sidelines, Caitlin rounded the bend towards the final stretch.

"What are they doing?" She muttered to herself as she spotted the two engines ahead practically at a crawl, but ignored them as she shot through on the line between them.

" _Sacre bleu!_ " Etienne cried as Caitlin sped past, and he and Axel tried to speed up again, but they simply couldn't make up the ground. The crowd went wild as Caitlin broke through the ribbon at the finish line.

" _And Caitlin of America has won the Great Race! Needless to say, Pug, it's those who focus who win the race!"_

" _Indeed, Jinty; let's hope our two runners up learn that lesson in the future, eh?_ " Etienne and Axel, one after the other, rolled to a sheepish stop beyond the finish line as the engines cheered for Caitlin.

"Hurrah!"

"Go Caitlin!"

"Nos sincѐres félicitations, mademoiselle Caitlin." Etienne forced out, bright red with embarrassment. Caitlin chuckled.

" _Mercí_ , gentlemen." However, a noise from the loudspeaker rang out.

" _Hold on a minute, Jinty, there seems to be two more engines still on the track."_

" _Yes there are, Pug, and they certainly are in a race of their own!_ " At that moment, Philip and Flying Scotsman rounded the final bend towards the last part of the racetrack. Philip was having the time of his life!

"I'm racing the _Flying Scotsman!_ " He shouted excitedly. Flying Scotsman laughed loud and long.

"Well, we're almost at the finish line! Think I'll win?" He asked playfully. Philip chuckled.

"I'd like to see you try!" He honked his horn and raced ahead as fast as he could. The crowd cheered loudly, but no one was cheering louder than Gordon.

"Go Philip! You're almost there!" He called, and Philip beamed. Thomas whistled and began a chant.

"Let's go, Philip, let's go!" He whistled loudly, two sharp blasts. The other engines began to follow suit, and even Caitlin, Axel, and Etienne were in on it by the end. Finally, the two approached the finish line neck and neck, but Flying Scotsman simply smiled and slowed down to allow Philip to speed ahead just in time to cross the finish line first. The crowd cheered loudly.

" _AND PHILIP OF SODOR COMES IN 4TH!_ "

" _WHY ARE WE SO EXCITED, JINTY?"_

" _I DON'T KNOW!"_ Philip beamed with pride as Flying Scotsman rolled alongside him and gave him a smile.

"Well done, Philip. I'll race you again someday, eh?" Philip beamed.

"Yes, sir! Mr. Flying Scotsman, sir!" Flying Scotsman chuckled.

"Please, no 'sirs'. We're both engines!" Gordon smiled proudly at Philip from the sidelines. As Flying Scotsman rolled past Gordon and gave him a smile, he found himself face-to-face with a playfully smirking Stepney.

"Content with last place, Scotty?" He teased. Flying Scotsman chuckled.

"Are you kidding me? Most fun race I've had in years!" He rolled onwards. Philip was completely starstruck by all the engines cheering for him and chanting his name. He simply ended up standing there and smiling from buffer to buffer, a tear of happiness rolling down his face.

* * *

 **Chase:** The Great Race itself has finally occurred! We knew from the beginning we wanted the titular Race itself to be the climax as opposed to the canon special's Shunting Challenge, as well as wanting Vinnie and Philip to butt in just before Gordon was disqualified for his lack of safety valve. Whereas in the actual special, Gordon continued to race because of his pride, here he did it as an act of heroism, showing that his brother does, in fact, care for him. We also knew that when Gordon got knocked out of commission saving Philip from Vinnie, that we wanted Philip to compete in his place, therefore completing Philip's arc of wanting to compete at the show. A lot of puzzle pieces fell into place in this chapter! As for Vinnie, there is a resolution to his arc, but you'll have to wait until next chapter to see it.

 **Don:** Alongside the actual-race was a mini-race between Flying Scotsman and Philip, an entirely new event. This serves to close two things - Philip did participate in the show after all, and Flying Scotsman got a moment of kindness that he didn't get in the actual special. Caitlin won the actual race in this version because having an already established character win means more after seeing her in her previous appearances. She's also much more positive than Axel and Etienne, who are far more antagonistic than in canon.

We're almost done with the special, but we still have a bit more to do before we can say goodbye! Find out what exactly that is in the twelfth and final chapter: "Tying Up Loose Ends"!


	12. Tying Up Loose Ends

"Say cheese!" The camera flashed to show the end of the "Winner's Circle" round of interviews. Jinty and Pug stood to the side as Rajiv, Ashima, Henry, and Caitlin stood in a proud line and enthusiasts and reporters alike tried to get as many pictures as possible. Rajiv was particularly attention-hungry, and tried to sneak forwards to get more of his decorations in the photo.

"Check me out!" He declared, but a sharp glance from Ashima caused him to quickly race back into his previous spot in the photo. The Fat Controller, along with a woman who seemed to be Ashima and Rajiv's controller and Mr. Claremont, stood in front of their engines with pride as one of the judges walked up.

"As a part of the Great Railway Show, each controller of a winning engine in an event shall receive a trophy to do so as they wish. For Ms. Charubala Patel's _two_ winning engines, Rajiv in the Best in Show Parade and Ashima in the Shunting Challenge, we have these two trophies…" One of the diesel shunters rolled alongside with a truck converted into a trophy case, and sure enough, inside were two trophies. Rajiv smirked and yawned.

"Another one for the collection!" He boasted under his breath. Ashima gave him a glance.

"Rajiv! Thank you so much, sir." She looked back to the judge with a sweet smile as their controller shook the judge's hand. The judge then walked over to Henry and the Fat Controller.

"For Sir Topham Hatt's Henry of the North Western Railway, he shall receive _this_ trophy for winning the Strength Competition." Another diesel arrived with a trophy case truck, this time with only one trophy. The Fat Controller walked towards it after shaking the judge's hand and saw his reflection in it before smiling.

"Well done, Henry! Really useful inde-oh, goodness, have I had that in my teeth this whole time?" He continued to study the trophy as Henry beamed with pride. Finally, the judge walked towards Caitlin, who blushed from the attention.

"Finally, a trophy for the winner of the Great Race, Mr. Jacob Claremont's Caitlin." Mr. Claremont and Caitlin eyed the trophy truck that yet another diesel brought, before Mr. Claremont smiled.

"You can keep it up at the castle, Caitlin. You earned it. I'd gladly have you back on anytime." Caitlin grinned.

"Thank you, sir!" Ulli rolled alongside, an annoyed look on his face.

"Alright everyone, show's over! Gather your things and start heading out; we need this yard spotless by tomorrow!" He honked his horn and rolled away. The engines rolled out of their positions in the photograph towards their teams. Thomas, James, Philip, and Stephen cheered for Henry as he rolled towards them, blushing modestly.

"Well done, Henry!" Stephen was grinning from buffer to buffer. James chuckled.

"Gordon says congratulations too, but he's still waiting to be checked for damage so he couldn't be over here." He added. Thomas grinned cheekily.

"You certainly showed that bully Vinnie what for, eh?" Henry's smile dropped as he appeared to be looking around the showground. Stephen raised an eyebrow.

"Is something wrong, Henry?"

"Where _is_ Vinnie? I haven't seen him since the crash." James scoffed.

"He's in another part of the yard. Good riddance in my opinion." Henry chuckled thoughtfully.

"Indeed." The Fat Controller walked up.

"Now, everyone, we have a long journey back home ahead, so everyone should fill up on coal, water, and fuel. Once Gordon's ready, we're all going home." The engines whistled.

"Yes, sir!" They split off into different areas of the showground to do this.

* * *

Henry had filled up on coal and was about to head off to join the others when he heard a man shouting furiously in a Canadian accent.

"You absolute idiot! You've really done it this time!" Henry raised an eyebrow and rolled forward. He gasped as he saw the man in the grew suit and bowler hat, red in the face, pointing angrily at Vinnie, who looked more scared than Henry had ever seen him before.

"Mr. Anderson, sir, I can explain. It wasn't my fault; it was dat _shrimp_ who got in my way!" Mr. Anderson gritted his teeth.

"It wasn't _him_ that lost, it was _you_! Do you have any idea how much I bet on you? I'm _very_ in the red, Vinnie, and I'm not happy!" Vinnie winced.

"It was just one mistake, sir, give me another chance."

"I've given you one too many chances already." Mr. Anderson scowled. "Your repairs aren't worth the cost of my humiliation, nor any more money. When we get back to Canada, you will be sent to the most convenient scrapyard. _Understand_?" Vinnie gasped.

"N-no, please! I won't lose again, I promise!"

"You promised to win this year, and you didn't!" Vinnie continued trying to plead with Mr. Anderson, but nothing seemed to work. Henry gaped.

"No wonder he's so competitive…" He mused to himself. Taking one more glance at Vinnie, he hurried away to find The Fat Controller.

* * *

The Fat Controller was talking with the other controllers when Henry raced up, whistling loudly. The Fat Controller blushed and cleared his throat.

"Give me a moment, you two. This should only take a moment." He walked up to Henry. "Henry? What's the matter?"

"Get in my cab, sir. There's something you need to see." The Fat Controller hesitated, before climbing into Henry's cab.

"Er, right, Henry, if you say so." He briefly waved to Mr. Claremont and Charubala as Henry reversed back to the coal hopper. The Fat Controller stepped down, surprised to see Vinnie frozen in fear and Mr. Anderson pressing several buttons on a calculator. The Fat Controller and Henry shared a glance. The Fat Controller walked up to Mr. Anderson, who didn't look up from his calculator.

"Hello, good sir. I'd just like to say that Vinnie here did an excellent job working on my railway." Mr. Anderson snorted.

"Well, he didn't do a good job for _me,_ so I'm selling him to a scrapyard."

"How about _I_ buy him?" The Fat Controller suggested. "Besides a bit of repair here and there, he's in perfect shape." Mr. Anderson finally looked up, staring at The Fat Controller like he had two heads.

" _You_ want _him_?"

"Yes, if that's alright with you, Vinnie." Vinnie, not sure what to say, tried stammering a response but no words came out. The Fat Controller chuckled.

"Alright then, now, let's get down to it…" As the Fat Controller brought out a sheet of paper and he and Mr. Anderson walked towards a surface to write on it, Vinnie simply watched in shock. He then looked on to where Henry was standing and gave him an astonished look. Henry simply smiled back, making Vinnie look at the rails awkwardly. Soon enough, the Fat Controller and Mr. Anderson returned.

"And now that's settled! You'll get your money in the mail as soon as possible." The Fat Controller finished chipperly. Mr. Anderson rolled his eyes and began walking away.

"It better be…" As soon as Mr. Anderson was out of sight, the Fat Controller's smile fell as he looked back to Vinnie.

"I meant every word of praise I gave you, Vinnie, but I do not tolerate bullies on my railway. I better not hear about any more 'incidents' between you and Philip, nor any of my other engines. Understood?" Vinnie grimaced.

"...yes, sir." He mumbled.

"You have a lot of potential, Vinnie; I hope you can live up to it." The Fat Controller walked back to Henry and into his cab, leaving Vinnie stunned. He glanced at Henry.

"Why'd you do dat?"

"It was the right thing to do." Henry replied simply. "No engine deserves to be treated like that, not even a bully." Vinnie subsided into silence; he had a lot to think about.

* * *

Gordon had been moved into the main part of the showground to be checked for damage. He waited impatiently as the engineers fussed over him.

"Come on! I have to head back to Sodor soon!" His driver, who was watching the operation, raised an eyebrow.

"I thought by now you would have learned not to rush repairs, Gordon." Gordon blushed in embarrassment and subsided at this, but he couldn't stay quiet for long. A whistle blasted from the outside line, and Gordon looked to see Flying Scotsman rolling alongside him, smiling. He tried to say something, but he couldn't think of proper words to say, so he simply sat in silence. Gordon sat in silence as well, as they did this for a while. It took a long time for Flying Scotsman to finally break it.

"You were very brave out there today, Gordon, going to save Philip like that at such a risk to yourself."

"It was the right thing to do." Gordon replied simply. Flying Scotsman thought for a moment again, trying to find the right words.

"It was a braver thing than _I_ could've ever done." Gordon raised an eyebrow as his brother sighed.

"Gordon, it's come to my attention that I've said some things towards you that have come off as more...condescending than I intended. The truth is that, well, I respect no engine more than you. I respect the pride you bring to your work, I respect the presence you bring to any group, and I respect your speed, in both design and action. What you did on the racetrack today, saving Philip from that horrid bully, was nothing short of incredible, and it multiplied my already enormous level of respect for you tenfold...Please forgive me for acting in a way that doesn't reflect that respect." The two brothers stood in silence again, before Gordon responded.

"I should apologize too. I've acted extremely immature in my attitude towards you, and I really should have just spoken to you about you making me upset." Scotsman chuckled.

"I guess we both have things to apologize for, eh, Gordon?" The brothers laughed. Gordon grinned at his brother as the laughing subsided.

"Maybe one day we _can_ actually race?" He requested. Scotsman scoffed.

"Please! I'd beat you with my buffers tied together with only one cylinder!" Gordon smirked.

"You're on!" The two laughed loud and long again.

"When are you headed home, Scott? The show's winding down." Scotsman chuckled as he began to reverse.

"Funny you'd say that, because I'm the one taking _you_ home!" He switched onto Gordon's siding and buffered up to him before a shunter came over and fastened the coupling.

"The other Sodor engines are kind of busy, so I'd say it's for the best!" He added, and the two laughed as Flying Scotsman pulled Gordon out of the siding.

* * *

Thomas and James were in line at the water tower, talking about the day's events.

"Our events were so boring compared to the other two!" James lamented.

"What do you mean?" Thomas raised an eyebrow.

"All anyone is going to talk about is Henry winning and Gordon being a hero! All they'll remember about us is…" James' eyes narrowed as two familiar engines rolled alongside.

"...we lost." He finished. Ashima gave a friendly smile to both engines, but Rajiv simply looked impatient.

"Hello, you two! Just wanted to say how much fun it was for us to compete against you, and hope we can face each other again someday." She looked to Thomas.

"I have to admit Thomas, your time in the shunting challenge was very good; you had me on the tips of my wheels hoping to beat you!" Thomas blushed modestly.

"Thank you, Ashima! You were incredible out there!" He replied.

"Thanks!" Ashima smiled at Thomas, before looking back to Rajiv.

"Rajiv? Is there anything you'd like to say to James?" The smaller engine rolled his eyes before forcing a short response out.

"Good game." He grunted condescendingly. James rolled his eyes.

"Good game." He replied, just as unwillingly. Thomas chuckled and gave Ashima a knowing glance.

"Sorry about him; James isn't much of a good sport!" He whispered. Ashima giggled.

"Neither is Rajiv; I think if they weren't competitors, they'd get along great!" The two laughed loud and long as Rajiv and James shared confused glances. Ashima whistled.

"Goodbye, Thomas! Goodbye, James!" She called and rolled away, leaving Rajiv behind. The crowned engine waited for her to be out of earshot before blowing a raspberry at James and scampering away. Thomas laughed hysterically as James scowled.

* * *

Elsewhere, Stephen and Stepney were having a chat.

"Your line sounds positively lovely, Stepney! I do hope you can tell me more about it soon!" Stephen replied. Stepney chuckled.

"Well, I do have a visit to Sodor scheduled pretty soon, so you may see me sooner than you think!"

"Certainly say hello to me when you do!" Stephen whistled as Stepney rolled away, whistling back before beginning the journey home.

* * *

Meanwhile, Philip was filling up on diesel fuel for the trip back to Sodor. He was ecstatic about being at the show, yet couldn't help but feel a little sad.

"Who's going to believe me when I tell them I went?" He lamented to his driver. He heard someone clear their throat and looked over to see Ulli rolling alongside.

"Before you go, we want you to have something." Philip raised an eyebrow. "The committee admired how you jumped in, Philip. Without you, we would have had to cancel the race. So, to show our thanks…" Ulli broke off as his driver hopped down and handed something to Philip's driver.

"Well, would you look at that!" Philip's driver exclaimed, waving a ribbon in front of Philip's face.

"It's a… participation ribbon. We whipped it up just for you. You did win your own little race, after all." Philip gasped excitedly.

"They'll believe me now! _I_ WENT TO THE GREAT RAILWAY SHOW! THANK YOU SO MUCH!" He honked his horn and scurried away. Ulli cringed but cracked a small smile as he watched Philip leave.

* * *

Soon enough, Philip returned to the rest of the Sudrian cavalcade. James and Thomas had Stephen on a flatbed between them, while Henry was coupled tender-first to a resigned and quiet Vinnie. At the front of the pack, Gordon was coupled up in front of Flying Scotsman, and Caitlin was alongside them, hauling both her and Henry's trophies. The Fat Controller climbed into Henry's cab.

"Alright, everyone! Off we go!" The international engines were all waiting at the front of the showground for their ferry, and whistled as the cavalcade rolled by.

"Au revoir!"

"Journey home safe, alright?"

"Bye now!" The engines whistled as they rolled through the gates and began heading home. As they rumbled along, Gordon looked back to Scotsman and began to sing.

" _I'm the fastest and best_

 _And on Sodor, I pull the express_

 _Though my brother has all the love and the fame_

 _I'll give him a friendly 'good game'!"_ Scotsman smiled before singing back to his brother.

" _Side by side, we are brothers for forever_

 _Side by side, we stay brothers in arms._ "

" _You help me, I help you, that's an alliance!_ " Gordon winked, before the two sang together.

" _We keep each other far from threat or harm!_ " The other engines witnessed this interaction and smiled, before joining in on the singing.

" _We're a team until the end!_ " Stephen sang from his flatbed, before grinning at Henry. The green engine smiled back.

" _And I'm glad you're my friend!_ " Vinnie rolled his eyes, only watching the line sliding away behind him.

"Yeah, yeah…"

" _If we're a team, will we stay as one?_ " Philip looked to Caitlin, who grinned back at him.

" _Yes! Til the bitter end!_ " As evening turned to night, the engines trundled over the Vicarstown Bridge, all singing together (of course, except Vinnie).

" _Side by side, we'll keep puffing all together_

 _Side by side, better than on our own!_ "

" _As a team, we are stronger and we're faster,"_ Gordon and Flying Scotsman sang together, before everyone else joined back in again.

" _Than we'd be if we were alone!"_ The engines rolled towards Vicarstown station, where tons of engines were waiting for them to return, along with an enormous crowd of enthusiasts. At the front of the pack were Edward, Percy, Emily, and Connor, who were whistling loudest of all as the competing engines sang together.

" _We're a team until the end_

 _And I'm glad you're my friend!_

 _If we're a team will we stay as one?_

 _Yes! Til the bitter end!_ " As the engines braked into Vicarstown station, the enthusiasts snapped pictures. There were Gordon and Flying Scotsman, one in front of the other: brothers, and equals.

 **THE END**

* * *

 **Chase:** This story finally comes to an end! A huge departure from the ending of the original in the form of Vinnie being purchased by the Fat Controller due to being sold by his own abusive controller. What Don and I wanted to do was create a way for Vinnie to be sympathetic, and a reoccurring character, without having him be nice, and showing that his controller only entered him in the Great Railway Show in order to bet on him and reap the benefits seemed like the way to do this. While Vinnie will not appear in the Season 21 Redux, he _will,_ however, play a major role in Set 3 and beyond. Just how? You'll see. Stepney's last words are also not a coincidence: he will appear in Set 3 as well, and perhaps be reunited with an old rival...We decided to use the canon version of the finale and simply change the lyrics due to not being able to come up with something that we felt ended the special in a more adequate way, and I believe it was the right call.

 **Don:** Another diversion from the original ending is Flying Scotsman and Gordon manage to reconcile as the former pushes the latter back to Sodor. It was one of the very first ideas we thought of when first crafting this as it was something the both of us wanted to see in the original. Of course, the two will still be rivals, but Flying Scotsman comes across as more caring and involved as opposed to practically being an afterthought in the actual special's ending.

While the special may be over, there's still some bonus content for you all to see! Read the next chapter to see Jinty and Pug interview the contestants of this year's Great Railway Show (and why this chapter took so long to come out)!


	13. Bonus - Contestant Interviews

**BEST IN SHOW: STEPNEY OF ENGLAND**

"Welcome back to another exclusive interview with a Great Railway Show contestant, this time with Stepney, the 'Bluebell' engine of the Best-in-Show Parade, and may I say, Stepney, that the way you've been decorated is utterly _stunning!_ " Jinty grinned at Stepney, who had been decked out with blue ribbons and banners, perfectly complimenting his goldenrod paintwork. The Bluebell engine smiled modestly.

"Please, don't compliment me for it! It was all thanks to brilliant work of the people on the Bluebell Railway; they keep an old engine running smooth and looking sharp!" He chortled, and Jinty laughed alongside him.

"You _just_ reminded me of your age! Might I say you don't look a day over…" Stepney raised an eyebrow as Jinty looked to the camera and hissed.

"Albert, how old is he and what is half of that?" The camera-engine mouthed a response.

"What do you mean 'you don't know'!?" Stepney chuckled awkwardly.

"Now, Jinty, don't we have an interview to get on with?" He hinted. Jinty gave Albert a final glare before returning to smiling at Stepney.

"Of course! Now, Stepney, this will be your third year not competing in the Shunting Competition."

"That's right."

"Are you going to miss it?" Stepney thought for a moment.

"I think when I was younger it was far more thrilling personally. As I've gotten older, I've just gotten short of breath and stressed. The Best-in-Show parade is far more my speed now; I never really competed to win anyway." Jinty raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? I think I have a feeling where this is going, so I'll ask the next question to lead into it: Stepney, what do you do when you aren't competing?" Stepney grinned.

"I work on the Bluebell Railway in West Sussex. Lovely little line, managed by volunteers, and a safe haven for preserved steam engines! We all pull enthusiasts' trains and even do brakevan specials!" He looked into the camera and smiled warmly..

"If you're ever in the area, please come visit! I'd love to see you all!" Jinty chuckled.

"They get enough advertising _between_ events, Stepney; they don't need it during their regularly scheduled programming!" The two shared a hearty laugh.

"And, lastly, Stepney, what do you plan to do in the future?" Stepney thought for a moment.

"Oh, very full year for me, Jinty. More trains on the Bluebell Railway, visiting Sodor...maybe even a repaint and tune-up if I'm lucky!" The two laughed again. Jinty chuckled.

"Well, this has been an absolute pleasure, Stepney. Good luck in the show!" Stepney smirked.

"Good luck announcing it! Keeping track of everything going on would give me a headache!" Jinty laughed, but his expression appeared pained.

"I smile through it!" Stepney seemed uncomfortable with this remark, but Jinty continued.

"That's all the time we have with Stepney today, folks! See you later for more exclusive interviews with the contestants of the _Great Railway Show!_ " The camera shut off with a concerned Stepney looking at Jinty, whose eye was twitching.

* * *

 **SHUNTING: GINA OF ITALY**

"Welcome back to another exclusive interview with the contestants of this year's Great Railway Show! Here, competing in the shunting challenge for the very first time, is Gina of Italy!" Gina smiled at the camera before winking.

"Ciao, everyone!" She giggled. However, as her laughing died down, she looked back to Jinty.

"Are we going to get-a started?" Albert angled the camera to look at Jinty, whose cheeks were bright red. He cleared his throat, but no dice; Jinty remained catatonic. Gina chuckled.

"No worries. This happens a lot." She whistled sharply, snapping Jinty out of his trance. The bigger tank engine stammered.

"What? Who? Are we rolling?"  
"Mmhmm."

"Alrighty then! So Gina, as you are a first-timer, welcome to the Great Railway Show!" Gina chuckled.

"Thank-a you, Jinty. It is such a pleasure to be here!" Jinty grinned for a moment, completely silent, before Albert cleared his throat and he started up again.

"How does it feel to be representing your country? Your predecessor, Emiliano, was always a very popular contestant in the Strength Competition, so you certainly have big shoes to fill!" Gina lit up for a moment.

"Oh right, Emiliano!" She rolled forwards and looked into the camera.

"Ciao, Emiliano! Vorrei che tu fossi qui! Ti ho promesso che vincerò per l'Italia, ed è esattamente quello che farò!" She grinned and reversed back towards Jinty.

"I promised him I'd say hello when I got here." She explained. Jinty smiled.

"No, erm, animosity in the turnover then?" Gina chuckled.

"None at all-a! He was very supportive, as are all the other engines in our shed!" Jinty chuckled awkwardly, trying to maintain his professionalism despite the blush in his cheeks.

"Well, heh, that's a convenient segue, because I was just about to ask what you do back in Italy! Isn't that a fun coincidence...heh-heh?" Albert audibly groaned at Jinty's awkwardness from behind the camera. Gina, however, seemed to just ignore it.

"I shunt trucks at-a a big harbour in Italy, so I got lots of practice for my event! There are a few other engines who work with me, but when we have big jobs we have to do together, they usually make me lead the team! I've learned a lot about shunting techniques just through trying to keep-a the harbour running sometimes!" She laughed, as did Jinty.

"You're amazing."

"What?"

"That's amazing! And what do you plan to do in the future?" Gina thought for a moment.

"Well, after I'm back in Italy, I'll go back-a to the harbour and make sure everything was-a running smoothly while I was gone. After that, I'll get right-a back to work, maybe practice my shunting in the off-time...I'm sure something exciting will come up!" She giggled. Jinty grinned, trying hard to hide the fact that he was blushing again and failing.

"Lovely! Well, we've got a schedule to keep to, but I'm sure we'd all love to see you later, Gina! In fact, I-"

"Oh, you'll see me later!" Jinty's eyes went wide as saucers.

"Really? When?" Gina rolled her eyes.

"When I'm competing, sciocco." Jinty looked crestfallen.

"Oh. Well...see you around, Gina!" He looked back into the camera with his normal grin as Gina reversed away.

"That's all the time for Gina! Join us again soon for another exclusive interview with one of the contestants of the Great Railway Show!" He let a few seconds of dead air happen, before looking at Albert.

"Can we edit that in post?" Albert mouthed a response.

"Oh. We film live...bother."

* * *

 **STRENGTH: VINNIE OF CANADA**

"Are we rolling, Albert? Alright, we're rolling! Welcome Great Railway Show fans, we are back with an exclusive interview with last year's champion of the strength competition, Vinnie of Canada." Vinnie gave a forced smile to the camera before looking back at Pug.

"Can we hurry dis up? I have places t'be." He grunted. Pug raised an eyebrow.

"We just started, Vinnie. And, may I remind you, especially after last year, that you are on camera." Vinnie scowled before subsiding into grumbling. Pug smirked.

"Now, Vinnie. As last year's winner of the strength competition, will you be competing again this year?" The bully scoffed.

"Obviously. What kinda question is dat?" Pug gritted his teeth, irritated.

"Just a formality." He looked back at his notes, which his driver was holding in front of him, before looking back up with a smile.

"Now, Vinnie, last year there was a bit of controversy over your win against Frieda of Germany. Now, the cameras didn't catch it, but Frieda and other representatives of the German team claim that you threw something under her wheels and-"

"Look, I won, okay! Just because she's bein' a sore loser doesn't mean that I have to get grilled every single time I do one of these interviews! I'm outta here!" Vinnie began reversing, before Pug rolled towards him.

"Wait up a second, big guy. Clearly I touched a nerve, sorry. Just come back here and I'll finish the interview as fast as I can and we can be on our way, eh?" Vinnie raised an eyebrow before letting loose an indignant snort.

"Fine." He rolled back into place in front of the camera. Pug smiled.

"Great. Now, Vinnie, what do you do when you aren't competing in tests of strength or giving your controller enough gambling funds to buy a new sports car-"

"Watch it." Vinnie snarled, starting to grow red with anger. Pug chuckled nervously.

"Like I was saying, what do you do when you aren't competing?" This made the bully smirk.

"I pull trains across territory dat all the other engines are too weak t'get over. Heavy freight and whatnot. Ya might say that I hold da railway on my back with how much work Mr. Anderson gives me. He trusts me, ya know. That's why he puts so much pr-" Vinnie stopped for a moment, clearly uncomfortable with the circumstances. Trying to avoid dead air, Pug spoke quickly after Vinnie stopped.

"And what do you plan to do in the future?" Vinnie smirked widely again, snapped out of his discomfort. He rolled forwards to look straight into the camera's lens.

"Win." He hissed nastily, and reversed away from the interview siding.

"Uh, Vinnie, we aren't done yet. Vinnie? Vinnie?" He was long gone. Pug rolled his eyes and gave a glance to the camera.

"Hope the rest of them are more friendly than that, eh?" The camera-engine gave a simple "mmhmm" in response.

* * *

 **THE GREAT RACE: AXEL OF BELGIUM**

"And we are back with another interview with the contestants of the Great Railway Show! Here we have the ever-popular Axel, hailing from Belgium and competing in the Great Race!" Axel smirked proudly at the camera before looking back to Jinty.

"I love coming back 'ere every year; the atmosphere eez amazing!" Jinty grinned back.

"Couldn't agree more with you, Axel! How does it feel to be back at the show after such a spectacular performance last year?" Axel chuckled confidently.

"Oh, I was spectacular, eh?" He smirked.

"Definitely! The rivalry between you and Etienne of France is a huge crowd-pleaser, and you two put on quite the show! I was on the edge of my buffers!" Jinty gushed. Axel rolled his eyes, but had a wry smile on his face.

"Oh, you know, Etienne and I love to put on a good show for the fans, eh? Between you and me...and all of you…" He winked at the camera before continuing.

"...I didn't go my full speed for most of ze race last year; kept ze gap between Etienne and I closer to make eet more exciting. I believe it was ze highest ratings ze Great Race has ever had, no?" He smirked confidently at Jinty. A cheeky grin appeared on the tank engine's face.

"Is that why you lost to him then?" The Belgian engine's smile fell into an irritated scowl.

"Well, I just got...distracted, by keeping ze people 'appy, zat eez all. Zat will not 'appen zis year!" He quickly defended himself. Jinty chuckled again.

"Axel, what do you do when you aren't competing?" Axel's smile returned.

"I pull passengers all across Belgium, of course! When I am at ze 'ead of a train, zey are always 'appy to see me arrive and cheer me on as I pull zem through ze beautiful scenery. I get everyone where ze need to be on time; not a single complaint! Of course, I could get zem zere early if I wanted to, but zen ze would not have any time to enjoy ze country, no? When I am not working, I will spend time out in nature, reading poetry with my crew." Jinty raised an eyebrow.

"Poetry?" Axel smirked.

"Poetry is ze language of ze soul, my friend. One can create entire worlds out of just words with eet, and eesn't zat more beautiful zan anyzing?"

"I suppose so…" Jinty said thoughtfully, before asking his next question.

"What are your plans for the future?" Axel pondered this for a moment.

"Well, after I win, as I most certainly will, I'd love to see more of ze world outside Belgium. Go on a tour...maybe I can take Etienne with me and we'll do charity races! And always as much poetry as I can read, eh?" Jinty chuckled.

"Always, indeed. Well, folks, that's all the time we have with Axel today! Tune back in soon, and we'll give you another exclusive interview with one of the contestants of the Great Railway Show!" Axel gave a final wink to the camera.

"Au revoir!"

* * *

 **BEST IN SHOW: CARLOS OF MEXICO**

"Welcome back to another exclusive interview with the contestants of the Great Railway Show! This time, we have Carlos of Mexico, in his first year of not competing in the strength competition." Carlos chuckled awkwardly.

"Si." Pug looked to him.

"Now, Carlos, what have you been doing since your accident in the strength competition last year?"

"Well, having one cylinder permanently weaker kind of caused me to not really be able to do much of what I used to do. The younger engines take all the heavier trains that I used to take, but I'm not exactly lying around. My controller is a very kind man, and he introduced a smaller tour service that I run. It's nice and slow so I don't strain myself too much, and getting to tell tourists about the culture is a lot of fun. Still, I do miss the competition." Carlos smiled. Pug, however, raised an eyebrow.

"You're competing in the Best-in-Show Parade this year, right?" He asked, looking Carlos up and down.

"Yes, why?"

"You're not decorated. At all." Carlos looked back and grinned sheepishly.

"I was, erm, kind of a last-minute addition." Pug raised an eyebrow, before Carlos explained.

"There was a very low applicant rate for the Best-in-Show parade this year, and they simply needed a fifth participant to keep the parade running. So, they sent my controller a message asking if I'd like to participate since they wanted to compensate for my accident from last year. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to go to the show at all, so I immediately jumped on-board, and, well, here I am." Pug chuckled.

"Are you expecting to win then?" Carlos smiled cheerfully.

"Not at all! But, then again, this is the Great Railway Show, amigo; anything can happen after all!"

"That is very true, Carlos. What are your plans for the future?" Carlos pondered this for a moment.

"Well, this definitely is my last year competing."

"Oh?"

"I'm glad I get to go out with something other than last year, but I don't think participating in the parade in the long run is something I could really do."

"The fans will certainly miss you, Carlos." Carlos smirked.

"Oh, I won't be leaving the show; just not participating!" Pug raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I love being around railway sporting events, so I figured a good job for me would be trying to be a railway sports commentator like yourself! You're never too old to try anything new." Carlos grinned at the camera at this. Pug chuckled.

"Perhaps next year you'll be the one doing these interviews." Carlos laughed loud and long.

"That's the idea, amigo!" Albert cleared his throat from behind the camera, and Pug looked to him.

"Are we out of time?"

"Mmhmm."

"Well, Carlos, good luck in the parade, and we look forward to seeing what you do in the future."

"¡Gracias, Pug! Join them again soon for another exclusive interview with a contestant of the Great Railway Show!"

"Don't come after my job yet, Carlos."

"Just trying it out!"

* * *

 **SHUNTING: THOMAS OF SODOR**

"Welcome back to another exclusive interview with a contestant of the Great Railway Show! This time, we have a celebrity competing in the Shunting Challenge; Sodor's Thomas the Tank Engine!" Jinty grinned at Thomas, who smiled at the camera.

"Hello, everybody!" He called eagerly. Jinty chuckled.

"Now, what the viewers at home may not know is that Thomas and I have actually worked together before; haven't we, Thomas?"

"That's right, Jinty; you did my work while the other famous engines from Sodor and I went to the big city!" Jinty smirked, beginning to stifle laughter.

"And, as I recall, you almost didn't get there!" Thomas scowled as Jinty burst out laughing.

"It wasn't my fault!"  
"'I stopped just short of the buffers, like this!' CRASH! Timed so well! So funny!" Jinty wheezed from laughter as Thomas rolled his eyes. Albert cleared his throat.

"Sorry, Albert! Sorry! Hoo boy, focus, Jinty, focus...so, Thomas, are you excited to compete in the Great Railway Show for the first time?" Thomas smiled again.

"It's very exciting! I'm glad that I was one of the engines the Fat Controller ended up choosing for the show; we were all practically begging to go. The competition is going to be a lot of fun!" Jinty smirked.

"They reinforce the buffers too, so you can 'stop just short' all you please without derailing!" Jinty cackled again, causing Thomas to scowl again.

"Botheration…" He muttered. Jinty stopped laughing soon enough.

"Do you think you've sufficiently trained for this event? My understanding is that some of your competitors have been training for months!" Thomas gulped.

"...months?"

"You're in the big leagues now!" Thomas looked nervous for a moment but regained his composure.

"Of course I'm ready! I've been shunting trucks since I was built, and you won't believe some of the time crunches I've had to deal with in the yards-"

"Crunches like your wheels leaving the rails and going onto the ballast?" Jinty asked cheekily, before snorting with laughter. Thomas grumbled to himself as the black tank engine subsided.

"Oh, wow, that never gets old...Thomas, why don't you tell the viewers at home what you do outside of competing?" Thomas smiled.

"I run my own branch line, with my two coaches, Annie and Clarabel. The Fat Controller says it's the pride of the line!" He smirked proudly. Jinty began to giggle to himself.

"Any brick walls on your branch line, Thomas?" Thomas groaned as Jinty burst out laughing again.

"Sorry! Sorry! Too good!" Jinty managed to calm himself down before asking the next question.

"Well, Thomas, what are your plans in the future?" Thomas smiled.

"Keep being really useful for the Fat Controller and keep my branch line running to time. Maybe...I'll see the world!" He grinned. Jinty chuckled.

"Or just the bottom of a hill!" Thomas scowled at Jinty as he finished his final fit of laughter.

"Well, that's all the time we have with Thomas, folks! Come back soon for another interview with a contestant of the Great Railway Show!" Jinty grinned at the camera, ignoring Thomas' angry expression behind him.

* * *

 **STRENGTH: SHANE OF AUSTRALIA**

"Welcome back to the Great Railway Show, mates! The name's Shane, and I'll be competing in the Strength Competition for Australia! Always a pleasure to be here at-"

"Did you start without me?" Pug quickly steamed back into frame. Shane grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry, Pug! You weren't here and I thought, with my own entertainment experience, that I could start on my own!" Pug scowled and looked back to Albert.

"Can we start over?" Albert mouthed a response, which evidently wasn't favorable from Pug's groan.

"Fine. As he said himself, this is Shane, competing in the strength competition for Australia." Shane grinned.

"Heya!" Pug rolled his eyes.

"Do you have to be in-character for this, Shane? It's an interview." Shane calmed down before chuckling nervously and speaking in a much quieter voice.

"Sorry, force of habit when cameras are around." Pug chuckled.

"Now, Shane, you've competed in the strength competition before."

"Yessir."

"But you've never won, right?" Shane chuckled nervously.

"Yeah, but I've never been creamed either. No shame in third place." Pug smirked.

"Is that what they say back in Down Under?" He teased. Shane chuckled.

"Nah, but I'm not known for being an athlete there."

"Perfect segue. Shane, what do you do when you aren't competing?" Shane grinned and looked into the camera, getting back into his "character".

"Well, back in Aussie, I pull tour trains around the Outback. If you're ever near Pine Tree Station and decide to take a Pine Tree Tour, check out Shane the Train's Outback Tour! You get to see the Outback from the safety of one of our luxury coaches, we-"

"Shane, Pine Tree Tours already bought a truckload of advertising space; they don't need any more!" Pug interrupted. Shane chuckled sheepishly.

"Sorry! Anyway, yeah, I'm a tour guide. Wouldn't trade it for the world. Train for the show in my off-time." He grinned at Pug, who finally relaxed and smiled.

"Good. And finally, Shane, what do you plan to do in the future?" Shane thought for a moment.

"Keep doing what I'm doing, mate; I'm happy where I am. Maybe I'll win this year, who knows!" Pug chuckled.

"Who knows, indeed." Albert cleared his throat.

"Well-"

"That's all the time Pug's got with me, mates! Come back soon for another exclusive interview with a contestant of the Great Railway Show!" Shane grinned as he finished, once again "in-character". Pug simply shot a deadpan glance to the camera.

* * *

 **THE GREAT RACE: ETIENNE OF FRANCE**

"We're back with another interview with another contestant of this year's Great Railway Show! This time, we have France's champion, and current holder of the world rail speed record, Etienne!" Jinty looked to Etienne, who flashed a smile to the camera.

"Bonjour le monde!" He grinned, and Jinty chuckled.

"Well, Etienne, it's always a pleasure to have you here! You're a big favorite of the crowds, and, if I'm correct, you are the only electric engine participating in the Great Railway Show, right?" Etienne smirked proudly.

"Oui. I am both ze first and currently ze only electric engine participating in ze show, but I 'ope to change zat in future." He looked to the camera, smiling wide.

"Any engine can participate in ze Great Railway Show, no matter if zey are steam, diesel, or electric; don't let what fuel you run on stop you from doing what you want!" Jinty smiled.

"Inspirational words indeed!" Etienne chuckled.

"Zank you."

"Are you ready to repeat your spectacular race from last year? Or have you relaxed a bit after winning last year?" Etienne smirked.

"Well, I was ze winner last year, so I cannot be, 'ow you say, 'slacking off'! I 'ave a reputation to uphold, so I've kept my training up in ze offseason." Jinty laughed.

"That you have! You recently beat the world rail speed record!" Etienne smirked.

"Just somezing to keep me busy, eh?" Jinty smiled.

"So, Etienne, what do you do when you aren't racing here?" The electric engine grinned.

"Racing elsewhere, obviously; zat is what a career racer does, no? Railways in France bring me in to 'elp bring publicity to zere lines, so I get to see a lot of different scenery and engines. Eet's quite nice, but nicest of all are my record attempts; I tell you, Jinty, whizzing along ze line eez absolutely, 'ow you say...exhilirating!" His eyes twinkled with excitement. Jinty smirked.

"To close it off, what are your plans for the future, Etienne?" The electric engine chuckled.

"Beat Axel in ze race for starters!"  
"I 'EARD ZAT!"

"Good!" Etienne laughed loud and long as Axel groaned from off-camera.

"Anyway, I'll probably continue my travelling and attempts at records; no life like ze life of ze athlete, eh?" Jinty chuckled.

"Right you are! Well, folks, that's all the time we have with Etienne for today! Stay tuned for another exclusive interview with one of the contestants of this year's Great Railway Show!" Etienne grinned at the camera, his white teeth glinting in the light.

* * *

 **BEST IN SHOW: YONG BAO OF CHINA**

"Where is he? Albert, do you know?" Pug looked around the space as Albert grunted to indicate that no, he hadn't. Pug groaned.

"We have a schedule to keep to, this is going to put us behind! Come on!" He reversed towards the end of the siding. Suddenly, Albert gasped, and the sound of Pug colliding with a set light was heard.

"Look out!" A voice rang out, and the sound of the set light crashing to the ground rang out. Albert angled the camera towards the scene of the disaster, where Pug was heavily breathing, barely clear of the collapsing light. Behind him was Yong Bao, who had pushed him out of the way.

"Are you alright?" He asked, concerned. Pug chuckled.

"Yes, I'm fine now. You always know how to make an entrance, Yong Bao." Yong Bao chuckled.

"Simply a line at the water tower! Lucky I got here when I did, otherwise we could have had Jinty doing all of these interviews!" Pug laughed as he rolled back into position.

"Perish the thought!" Pug and Yong Bao had soon enough moved into the proper positions for the interview, and Pug looked into the camera.

"Welcome back to another exclusive interview with the contestants of the Great Railway Show. Here, as you at home have probably all seen, is Yong Bao of China. And, might I say, it is an honor to have such a great hero of an engine back at the Great Railway Show again." Yong Bao smiled sagely, yet modestly.

"I'm no hero; I just do the right thing." He replied. Pug raised an eyebrow, chuckling.

"If you're no hero, I wonder where you got that red livery with the dragons and tigers all over?" Yong Bao rolled his eyes, still with a smile.

"You all spoil me whenever I'm here! But yes, I suppose I did earn my paint through 'heroics'." He remained silent, before Pug cleared his throat.

"Tell the story; it makes good TV." The tank engine hissed. Yong Bao smiled.

"Well, I was working in the mountains one day when I found a lone tiger beside the line. I had seen this tiger before, and it seemed to remember me when I approached it. The tiger started walking down the line, as if it wanted to lead me somewhere, so I followed it. Sure enough, a passenger train had derailed, and was hanging over the side of a tall cliff. I coupled up to the rear coach and pulled the train back onto the rails before taking them all back to the last station. The passengers were so thankful that they told my controller I should be repainted to reflect my bravery, so I was given my new look and a new job." Pug grinned.

"Your 'new look' is brilliant, Yong Bao. Do you think the judges of the Best-in-Show Parade will agree?" Yong Bao chuckled.

"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. All my competitors are good-looking; it just depends on what the judges are looking for this year. If it is me, so be it. If it isn't, so be it." Pug smiled.

"Very wise. Now, Yong Bao, it is my understanding that you bring that wisdom with you in the 'new job' you mentioned, is that right?"

"Yes. When I'm not pulling trains, I work with the newest engines on the railway in the yards to teach them how to do their work properly, and help them find what they excel in. There is nothing I enjoy more than watching a young engine learn, Pug; their effort and growth is astounding. I try to learn as much from them as I teach." He smiled wistfully. Pug raised an eyebrow.

"I'd hardly have the patience…" He muttered under his breath. Yong Bao smiled.

"You never know until you've tried." Pug cracked a small smile.

"Do you plan to continue this in future, Yong Bao?"

"As long as I can do it." Pug grinned, but Albert cleared his throat.

"Are we out of time? Well, that's a shame. Thank you to Yong Bao, and, those at home, come back soon for another exclusive interview with a contestant of the Great Railway Show!" Yong Bao smiled at the camera and winked.

* * *

 **SHUNTING: ASHIMA OF INDIA**

"We are back with another exclusive interview with a contestant of the Great Railway Show, this time being the Shunting Competition's Ashima of India. Wait...Shunting Competition?" Pug looked at Ashima's elaborate paintwork and then at Albert, behind the camera.

"Is that a typo?" He asked the camera-engine, but Ashima simply chuckled.

"No, no, I am in the Shunting Competition." Pug raised an eyebrow.

"With that paintwork?" He asked, bewildered. Ashima rolled her eyes.

"I can do other things too...such as shunt." She cleared her throat and gave a glance to the camera. Pug hastily corrected himself.

"Ah, sorry, Ashima. This is your first time going to the Great Railway Show, correct?"

"That's right, Pug; I'm very excited! I had to work very hard to be here!" She grinned, and Pug raised an eyebrow.

"Any harder than the rest of the competitors?" Ashima chuckled.

"Well, of course, I don't know the circumstances everyone had to go through in order to get here, but I do know that getting here was a bit of a hurdle."

"And why is that?"

"Because no one thought I could do anything except be in the Best-in-Show Parade because of the way I looked." Pug instantly looked guilty.

"Erm, well, I never thought that you couldn't-"

"It's alright, I don't mean you. Rajiv was getting very protective over his spot as the 'Indian engine at the Great Railway Show', so he was thrilled when he found out I was going out for another event entirely!" She laughed, and Pug seemed a little more at ease.

"Yes, knowing Rajiv that must have been very comforting indeed." He remarked. Ashima chuckled before smirking in surprisingly malicious fashion.

"Plus, it should keep my competitors off their guard out on the track!" She giggled, clearly excited about her plan. Pug raised an eyebrow, but decided to move on.

"So, Ashima, what do you do for work?" He asked. Ashima chuckled.

"Well, Rajiv and I work on a railway in India with a lot of other engines. The railway's so big though, and we only work on a small section of it, that we're constantly seeing new faces that have been working for us the entire time! But still, it's good to have old friends to say hi to despite the new faces." Ashima gasped with excitement and looked at the camera.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Hi, Noor Jehan! Hi, Shankar! Miss you!" She grinned.

"I'm what I think you all would call a 'utility engine' here; I pull passengers, goods, and even shunt trucks wherever I'm needed." Pug chuckled.

"Well, you certainly seem very versatile, Ashima. What do you plan to do in future?" Ashima thought for a moment.

"Well, if all goes well this year, I'd like to start making coming here an annual tradition! Otherwise, I'll keep doing my work in India and hopefully taking on whatever excitement comes my way!" Pug smiled.

"Well, Ashima, thank you for your time, and break a leg in the Shunting Competition." Ashima's face fell into her smirk again.

"Oh, you should be saying that to the others…" She giggled. Pug looked back to the camera.

"Well, everyone, that's all the time we have with Ashima. Join us again soon for another exclusive interview with a contestant of the Great Railway Show."

* * *

 **STRENGTH: HENRY OF SODOR**

"Welcome back to the Great Railway Show! We are here with an exclusive interview with a first-time competitor for the Strength Competition, Henry of Sodor!" Henry grinned into the camera.

"Hello, everyone!" Jinty chuckled.

"Now, Henry, you're certainly setting a new standard for the event by your competing this year!" He grinned. Henry raised an eyebrow.

"Really? How so?"

"Well, you're far smaller than the average competitor of the Strength Compeititon, for starters! How have you been preparing to cover that area?" Henry frowned.

"First of all, Jinty, I'm not that small." He hissed, giving Jinty a nasty glare. The tank engine recoiled back.

"Alright, alright, jeez. Sore spot, I guess…" He muttered under his breath. Henry took a deep breath.

"Second of all, I've been training for the past month with Stephen, and-"

"YOU'VE BEEN TRAINING WITH THE ROCKET!?" Jinty gushed, his eyes wide with excitement. Henry jumped, startled, before continuing.

"...Yes, I have. I've been working hard on my training, and I feel like I'm miles ahead of where I was months ago." Jinty remained with a big grin on his face. Henry raised an eyebrow.

"Jinty?"

"The Rocket!" The tank engine giggled to himself, utterly amazed. Henry shot a glance to Albert, who quickly cleared his throat and caused Jinty's attention to snap right back to Henry.

"Sorry about that! Anyway, how do you feel about your chances after all your training, Henry?" Henry smiled.

"Well, as long as I feel like I did my best, I'll be happy. Whether or not that allows me to win is up to fate." He smiled.

"Excellent! Now, Henry, tell the people at home what you do when you aren't competing?" Henry grinned.

"I'm a mixed traffic engine, so the Fat-"

"Sir Topham Hatt! You can't call him that on television; the international censors go mad!" Jinty hissed quickly. Henry chuckled sheepishly.

"Sir Topham Hatt gives me a lot of different work to do. Passengers, goods, I'm okay with whatever! I do have a train of my own though: the Flying Kipper!" Jinty snorted with laughter.

"Funny name for a train…" He muttered to the camera. Henry rolled his eyes.

"It's called that because it carries fish from the docks and fishing villages to all the inland cities and towns." He explained.

"Indicative name too." Henry let loose an indignant sigh. Jinty smirked.

"Now, Henry, what do you plan to do in future?" The green engine thought for a moment.

"Well, I'll keep doing my work on Sodor obviously. Probably try to find more time to relax in the forest when I'm back. Nothing in particular comes to mind right now." Jinty chuckled.

"Well, thanks for your time, Henry! Join us again soon, folks, for another exclusive interview with a contestant of the Great Railway Show!" Jinty grinned at the camera, as Henry smiled behind him, although not without shooting Jinty a quick glare.

* * *

 **THE GREAT RACE: CAITLIN OF AMERICA**

"Welcome back to our exclusive interviews with the contestants of this year's Great Railway Show! Here we have America's representative in the Great Race, Caitlin!" Caitlin grinned at the camera.

"Hi, everyone!" She called to the camera. Jinty beamed at her and gave Albert a glance.

"Finally! Someone with energy! How are you today, Caitlin?"

"I'm doing great! The journey here was smooth, the weather's beautiful, the crowd's so excited!"  
"I know, this crowd has great energy!"

"I just want to get out there and race right now!"

"Me too! I'm not even competing!"

"Ahem." Jinty gave Albert a sheepish grin.

"Sorry, sorry, I'll stay on track! Now, Caitlin, how does it feel to represent a country that you haven't lived in for some time?" Caitlin chuckled.

"Well, I was surprised when Mr. Claremont approached me about it, but America will always be my home, so I was delighted to represent it. Besides, a race is a race, and they're always exciting!" Jinty smiled.

"Racing is incredibly exciting! My favorite thing to commentate on!"

"Ooh, I've never commentated on a race before; what's it like?"

"Oh, it's thrilling! Getting to see streaks of color whiz by, and-"  
"Ahem." Albert sounded significantly more irritated than before. Caitlin blushed.

"Sorry!" Jinty smiled.

"Now, Caitlin, tell us what you do when you aren't racing!" The streamlined engine thought for a moment.

"Oh, lots! Pulling passengers mostly, but I also like to race my friend, Connor, in between stations." Caitlin grinned to the camera.

"Hi, Connor!" She called.

"You work for the Earl of Sodor right?" Jinty asked. Caitlin's eyes widened.

"Oh yes, you're right! I should say hello to everyone then!" She looked into the camera.

"Hi, Millie! Hi, Glynn! Hi, Cl-"

"AHEM!" Albert sounded extraordinarily irritated. Jinty chuckled.

"Easy, mate! Now, Caitlin, why not tell us what your plans are for the future?" Caitlin grinned.

"Oh, so much, Jinty! More passengers, more racing, just as much adventure as life can give me!" She beamed. Jinty thought for a moment.

"What's the fastest you've ever gone?" He asked eagerly.

"Ooh, I don't know! I'd have to think about it!"

"Ahem."

"Well, I'm sure it's very fast indeed, because you are streamlined and all!"  
"Aren't you a charmer?"

"AHEM."

"Oh, please, I'm just a commentator; you're the real talent!"

"Commentating is just as hard as racing, don't sell yourself short!" Jinty and Caitlin suddenly recoiled in surprise as the sound of a loud crashing rang out from behind the camera. Jinty's eyes widened.

"Um, we have to end it here, folks, as our cameraman appears to have run himself through the buffers in frustration. Care to sign off while I get a crane, Caitlin?" Caitlin grinned into the camera as Jinty reversed away.

"That's all the time with me for today, everyone! Come back soon for another exclusive interview with one of the competitors of the Great Railway Show!"

"You're a natural!" Jinty called from out-of-frame.

* * *

 **BEST IN SHOW: JAMES OF SODOR**

"Welcome back to our Great Railway Show contestant interviews! Here we have a first-time competitor in the Best-in-Show Parade, James of Sodor." James smirked confidently into the camera, flashing a toothy grin.

"Hello, everyone!" Pug shot an aside glance to the camera but soon enough regained his composure and cleared his throat, returning James' attention to him.

"What? I'm trying to look good for the camera! Are you getting my good side?" Pug scowled.

"Why does Jinty always get the easy ones?" He muttered, before continuing.

"So, James, are you excited to be here at the Great Railway Show?" James chuckled confidently.

"Of course, Beagle-"

"Pug."

"...Pug, but looking good is nothing new for me! Why, I'd say that I'm the best-looking engine on the whole Island of Sodor!" He smirked into the camera again, and Pug let loose a long, exhausted nasal exhale.

"Well, James, I can't help but notice that you seem to be a bit...underdressed, for the parade." James raised an eyebrow, looking away from the camera.

"What do you mean?" Pug chuckled.

"Well, usually when engines compete in the Best-in-Show Parade, they try to be, oh, I don't know, decorated, a bit?" James huffed indignantly.

"Well, I don't need decorations to win! My shiny red paintwork is splendid! I've made sure to keep it in perfect shape before the show! Why add to perfection?" The red engine smirked confidently. Pug rolled his eyes.

"You must fun at parties…"

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Now, James, why not tell the people at home what you do on Sodor, since you seem to be so proud of it?" James thought for a moment before chuckling.

"Well, Poodle-"

"Pug."

"Pug, I do a lot of important work on the Island of Sodor! For starters, I pull the Express!" Pug raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" James huffed.

"Yes, really!" The tank engine smirked.

"It says in my notes that you're a 'mixed-traffic engine', James. That means you pull both coaches and trucks. Don't lie now; you're on television." James rolled his eyes over being caught.

"Okay, fine. Yes, I'm a mixed traffic engine, but I have pulled the Express before! Just...when other engines are busy." Pug grinned.

"Mmhmm. And what do you plan to do in the future?" James thought for a moment.

"You mean after I win?" He smirked. Pug rolled his eyes.

"If that helps you sleep at night."

"Well, probably get a repaint; travel can take a toll on my paintwork! Then keep being really useful and making the passengers happy; they love seeing me!" Pug smirked.

"Doubtful."

"WHAT?" Pug ignored James as the red engine's face went the same color as his paint.

"That's all the time we have with James, the mixed traffic engine, for today, folks. Come back soon for another exclusive interview with one of the contestants of the Great Railway Show! Maybe the next one will actually be in the running!" Pug laughed as James indignantly vanished in a cloud of steam.

* * *

 **SHUNTING: IVAN OF RUSSIA**

"Welcome back, Great Railway Show fans, with another exclusive interview with a competitor in the Shunting Competition, although you may know him more for his comedy career, Russia's funny-diesel himself, Ivan!" Ivan beamed happily at Jinty's introduction.

"It is a pleasure to be here!" Jinty grinned back.

"It's a pleasure to have you here, Ivan! Pug and I are enormous fans of your work: 'Live at the Moscow Sidings' is truly one of the best comedy albums to come out in recent memory." Ivan smiled.

"Thank you! Always great to meet a fan of my work; put a lot of work into that one and it went over quite well!" The two laughed.

"Yes, indeed. Now Ivan, tell us how you got into shunting!" Ivan chuckled.

"Funny story, Jinty; I was a shunter long before I was a comedian." Jinty raised an eyebrow.

"Is that so?"

"Of course! You think that yards here are big; the railyards in Mother Russia are enormous! Work is hard, especially in the winter, and I had to travel long distances in the cold just to get the trucks needed for one train! Of course, with all the bad weather, we're all used to it but it can make everyone a little...under-the-weather!" Ivan grinned at the punchline and Jinty snorted with laughter. Ivan chuckled.

"Anyway, everyone was upset so I started telling jokes, about railways, weather, whatever, to get spirits up. Laughter's the best way to keep warm, you know." Jinty raised an eyebrow.

"I thought it was the best medicine?"

"Eh, universal cure. They liked my jokes so much that I became known for it! And then one day, I was shunting coaches into the platform, trying to placate them from the cold, and one of the passengers happened to be a talent agent. So, he talked to my controller, they scheduled me a show, it was a success, and here we are!" Jinty beamed.

"True rags to riches then!" Ivan chuckled.

"I suppose; but we're here to talk about shunting, eh?" The diesel winked at Jinty.

"Yes, of course. So, Ivan, do you feel like you have a shot?"

"I'm certainly a little rusty since my comedy career has taken off, but we'll have to wait and see!" Jinty chuckled.

"Well, normally we would ask you what you do outside of the show, but the interview thus far has spelled that out pretty plainly!" Ivan chuckled and looked to the camera.

"I'm a standup comedian, if you didn't know! Please buy my newest album, 'Live at the Moscow Sidings'!" Jinty beamed.

"It's a classic! Now, Ivan, what are your plans for the future?" Ivan chuckled.

"Well, Jinty, I may have a TV pilot, a passion project of mine for a while, in the works this year, so that'll be exciting! Otherwise, definitely going to do a few shows in Russia again; get back to my roots, as they say!" He beamed. Jinty chuckled.

"Well, I'll be glad to see it! And good luck in the shunting competition!" Ivan laughed.

"I have a bit about good luck, actually: if you tell someone 'good luck', that implies they need it!" Jinty cackled hysterically.

"Well, that's all the time we have for today with Ivan, folks! Join us again soon for another exclusive interview with a contestant of the Great Railway Show!" Suddenly, Albert's snorts of laughter came from behind the camera. Jinty raised an eyebrow.

"What's so funny?" The tank engine looked to Ivan, who was making a goofy face at Albert from off-camera. Jinty began laughing hysterically again as Ivan winked at the camera.

* * *

 **STRENGTH: FRIEDA OF GERMANY**

"And we're back! Welcome folks, with an exclusive interview with another contestant of the Great Railway Show! Here we have the strength competition's runner-up from last year, and Germany's darling fraulein, Frieda!" Jinty beamed at Frieda, who just continued scowling. An awkward silence passed before Jinty chuckled uncomfortably.

"Now, Frieda, how are you feeling today?"

"Good." Another awkward silence passed. Albert coughed from behind the camera. Jinty looked to Albert and mouthed "what am I supposed to do?". Albert mouthed a response back, and Jinty groaned.

"So, Frieda, how does it feel to be back at the Great Railway Show, especially after your controversial loss from last year?" He grinned nervously. Frieda remained unmoved.

"Like I vill vin this year."

"How do you plan to do that?" Jinty jumped in quickly, trying to make up for the dead air.

"I train hard. I become strongest. I don't lose to cheaters." She grunted. Another awkward silence emerged. Jinty raised an eyebrow.

"You're not giving me anything to work with here, lady." Frieda snorted.

"I'm not here to talk. I'm here to vin." Jinty chuckled.

"Well, I am. So, Frieda, why not tell the folks at home how you feel about losing last year." Frieda rolled her eyes.

"I shouldn't have. I vas going to vin and I vould have if that big Canadian brute hadn't cheated!" Jinty chuckled nervously.

"Well, Frieda, the cameras-"

"THE CAMERAS DON'T VORK! HE JAMMED MY CYLINDERS! HE-"

"Easy, Frieda, easy!" The German engine snorted and rolled her eyes.

"You vant me to talk, you vant me to stop talk; make up your mind!" Jinty grit his teeth, his patience beginning to wear thin.

"Okay, Frieda, let's try this; what do you do when you aren't competing?" Frieda remained frowning.

"I pull heaviest goods trains in all of Deustchland. I keep pushing myself to get stronger and stronger, so then when I come back here I vin. I make sure I become strong for real, not like some of the frauds who compete in Strength Competition. I never cheat. Ever." She gave Jinty a nasty stink-eye. The tank engine inched back nervously.

"Alright then, Frieda. So, why don't you tell us what you plan to do in the future? After the show, I mean." Frieda snorted.

"After I vin, I keep becoming stronger. That vay, vhen I come back, I don't let my guard down and let cheaters vin again. I vill never let cheaters vin." She finished darkly. Jinty appeared rather uncomfortable.

"Thanks for that, Frieda! Well that's all the time we have for today with Frieda, everybody! Join us again with another, less scary contestant of the Great Railway Show!" Frieda remained unmoving and scowling, causing Jinty to shudder in fear.

* * *

 **THE GREAT RACE: FLYING SCOTSMAN OF ENGLAND**

"Welcome back to another exclusive interview with a contestant of this year's Great Railway Show. Here we have the Flying Scotsman, the most famous engine in all of Britain, and possibly in all the world, competing in this year's Great Race." Pug looked to the Flying Scotsman, who chuckled.

"Now, Pug, I wouldn't say in the 'whole world'; what would some of the other contestants say?" He gave a wry grin to the saddle tank engine, who smirked back.

"So, Scotsman, what are your thoughts on the competition? Although you are a very fast engine, racing isn't usually your scene." Flying Scotsman smiled.

"Well, of course when it was between myself and Spencer, a cousin of mine, I was delighted to take the challenge. Enormous respect for what you all do here, and I'm absolutely thrilled to be taking part this year, especially alongside my little brother, Gordon!" Pug raised an eyebrow.

"Gordon of Sodor?" The famous engine grinned.

"The very same, I assure you. We're brothers, yes, but I'm also very excited to be competing against him. When I told Gordon about the opportunity, he jumped to the call!" Pug raised an eyebrow.

"Does the competition between you two get in the way of your relationship?" Scotsman chuckled.

"Not at all. Nothing beyond teasing here and there; we're thick as thieves!" The saddle tank shot a deadpan glance to the camera before looking back to Flying Scotsman.

"Alright, Flying Scotsman, for the two percent of our viewers who don't know, tell us what you do when you aren't at the show?" Flying Scotsman grinned.

"Well, Pug, I pull an express train between Edinburgh and London, and from London to Vicarstown on Sodor when they need an engine to do it. They're long, long journeys, and I live in London most of the time, but I wouldn't trade them for anything. You see all sorts of people travelling from place to place, and there's absolutely nothing better than seeing the line fly by, the wind beneath your wheels." The famous engine smirked proudly and slid his smoke deflectors forwards. Pug raised his eyebrows, impressed.

"Huh. And what are your plans for the future, Scotsman?" Flying Scotsman beamed.

"I've done a few foreign tours before, and we've been working on another one, but it's all hush-hush for now...you'll see!" He winked. Pug smiled.

"Well, thank you for your time, Flying Scotsman."

"Thank you for yours."

"That's all the time we have with the Flying Scotsman, ladies and gentlemen. Join us again with another exclusive interview with a contestant of the Great Railway Show!" As Pug finished, Flying Scotsman grinned at the camera.

* * *

 **BEST IN SHOW: RAJIV OF INDIA**

"Welcome back to the Great Railway Show! Here we have another exclusive interview with last year's champion of the Best-in-Show Parade: Rajiv of India!" Jinty looked to Rajiv, who smirked confidently.

"Rajiv the Royal Engine, thank you very much!" He boasted, looking up at his crown. Jinty raised an eyebrow.

"Is that so?" Rajiv grinned.

"Of course! That's what the crown's for, after all. Establishing my royal authority!" Jinty was about to speak again, but Rajiv simply kept talking.

"I suppose you're wondering how I feel after coming back for my umpteenth Great Railway Show, after winning Best in Show so many times?"

"Well-"

"It is a bit exhausting, winning over and over, and I almost didn't come back this year! But then, as I was thinking of the arduous task of coming back and achieving victory again while admiring my rather extensive collection of trophies, I noticed an empty spot on the shelf in my sheds that I simply had to fill. So, I told Mrs. Patel-actually, we're close enough where I can call her by her first name, right?" He looked to Jinty for the first time in his entire monologue, who simply looked bewildered. Rajiv ignored him and continued.

"Yes, I think so. Anyway, I told Charubala that I wanted to come back and achieve one final victory, and here I am! Of course, it was very difficult to leave the other engines to do my important work while I was gone...oh, I forgot to say what I do when I'm not working here, didn't I?" Jinty simply blinked in shock for a moment.

"Go for it."

"You could say that I am the backbone of the entire Indian Railway network! When I'm not pulling my local passenger services, I am given the extremely important task of escorting important people to where they need to go! Politicians, celebrities...just another day in the life of a royal engine!" Before Jinty could interject, Rajiv continued.

"Of course, that doesn't mean I don't have bigger ambitions! Make no mistake, Rajiv the Royal Engine is not complacent, no sir!" The Indian engine rolled his "R"s dramatically, before pausing in a fashion just as dramatic.

"Once I've won my trophy, I...want to be...in a Bollywood movie!" His eyes lit up. Jinty raised an eyebrow.

"Bollywood?"

"The Indian movie industry! I've heard of athletes becoming actors after they retire, and well, I want in! I even have a few ideas! There's one where I play this super amazing spy-"

"That's all the time we have with Rajiv today, everyone! Join us again soon for another exclusive interview with a contestant from the Great Railway Show!" Jinty let out a sigh of relief as Rajiv's talking finally subsided. The Indian engine raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Wait, we started the interview?"

* * *

 **SHUNTING: RAUL OF BRAZIL**

Pug took a deep nasal inhale while looking at the camera.

"Just remember...because you're doing him, you don't have to do Frieda…" He muttered to himself, clearly dreading the interview ahead. Albert cleared his throat.

"We're rolling? Alright, welcome back to another interview with a contestant of the Great Railway Show. Here, we have last year's Brazilian champion of the shunting challenge...Raul." Pug rolled his eyes, completely disinterested. Raul grinned, as if expecting some kind of fanfare, but was greeted with an awkward silence. Albert coughed. Raul raised an eyebrow, frozen in his grin.

"Where are the legions of adoring fans?" He hissed to Pug, who looked as if he wanted to ram himself through a wall. The saddletank gave him a glance of pure bewilderment.

"There's no live audience! What kind of show do you think this is?" Raul rolled his eyes.

"Unbelievable what they allow on British television these days, honestamente…" He muttered. Pug's eye twitched, but he took a deep breath and continued.

"So, Raul, how does it feel to be back here after your controversial win from last year?" He asked, regaining his professional composure. Raul smirked.

"Well, Cão-"

"Is it that hard to remember?" Pug muttered under his breath.

"I, of course, feel confident in winning this event again. I have, after all, competed in almost every Great Railway Show since its inception. But I don't see what you mean about my win being controversial." His gaze narrowed, but Pug simply smirked.

"Oh, you don't remember? You were found with trucks of Welsh Coal on show grounds, after shattering your previous records despite your age, and to cover it up, you paid off popular competitors like Filiberto of Cuba and Pioner of Iceland to prevent them from competing again after the controversy, and then bought your way right back into the Shunting Com-"

"THEY NEVER PROVED ANYTHING! I SIMPLY FOUND THAT WELSH COAL AND WAS ABOUT TO REPORT IT TO THE COMMITTEE WHEN I WAS FOUND, I-" Raul's enraged bloodshot eyes looked to the camera, stopping his screaming rant to a rather startled Pug, before taking a deep breath and regaining his composure.

"I don't know what came over me. Must be the stress of the competition. Or maybe it's the fact that I'm being harassed by my interviewer and will tell his boss as such if he continues talking about this slander of a controversy that has no root in fact." He glared threateningly at Pug, who gulped. Raul then smirked.

"Anyway, the rest didn't quit because of me. I'm assuming Pioner quit because he got third place. I could never deal with the shame of getting third place...but I don't have to, do I?" He chuckled darkly. Pug shuddered.  
"Anyway, what do you do when you aren't competing in the Shunting Competition here?" Raul grinned, amiable and placated again.

"Well, being my country's representative in the Great Railway Show means that I often have to go around the country giving speeches to shunting engines to boost morale, doing interviews, training...the usual life of a celebrity. Keeps me young, you know?" He flashed a grin. Pug looked nervously to Albert, before continuing.

"And what do you plan to do after the show this year?" Raul thought for a moment.

"Hmm...more of the same, I suppose. After all, Brazil is counting on me, eh?" Pug looked away.

"That's all the time we have with Raul for today, everyone. Join us again soon for another exclusive interview with a contestant of the Great Railway Show!" Pug watched Raul roll away out of frame with bated breath, before letting out a sigh of relief when he was finally gone. He looked straight at Albert with a deadpan expression.

"What a ruddy tosser."

* * *

 **STRENGTH: HIRO OF JAPAN**

"Welcome back to our exclusive Great Railway Show contestant interviews. Here we are with Japan's representative in the strength competition, Hiro." Pug looked to Hiro, who smiled warmly.

"Hello!" He called to the camera. Pug smiled.

"So, Hiro, you've been an on-and-off competitor for several years now; how does it feel to be back?"

"I would say that I'm pretty excited; it's not too often I get to really have my abilities put to the test, so I'm excited to see what I'm actually capable of under pressure."

"How do you think you'll fare in the competition?"  
"I'll do my best, and whatever I get out of that I'll be happy with." Hiro smiled. Pug looked at the notes for the interview, hanging below the camera lens, before looking back to Hiro.

"So, Hiro, it says in our notes that despite representing Japan in the show and identifying as Japanese, you haven't lived in Japan for some time; is this true?" Hiro chuckled.

"Yes, it is. It's a bit of a long story; are you sure we have time?" He looked to the camera nervously.

"I don't think so, but we'll cut you off if it goes on for too long." Hiro smiled, and began.

"Well, I worked on Japan for many years as a young engine, but was then to sent to Sodor and I considered that my home for a long time. After all, I was 'master of the railway' there! However, I started frequently breaking down and, because my parts had to be ordered from Japan, found myself in less and less use. Eventually, the workmen decided the parts would never show up. Keep in mind, Pug, that Sodor didn't have the reputation of being a 'haven for steam' that it does now back then, and no one knew what would happen to me if I couldn't run. So, they put me on a siding to try and hide me from the cutter's torch. I was there for a long time, but I was soon found again and restored. There was no real spot for me on the roster of the North Western, so Sir Topham Hatt decided to send me back to Japan, where they were delighted to have me back. Japan's been long since modernized and only diesels run the railways there now, so I was a bit of an anomaly. Mr. Hideki, my manager, decided that it would be a good business move for me to run steam services as a special for the passengers, and for a while, I loved them. It let me get in touch with my heritage again, which is why I compete on behalf of Japan; it's where I'm from, even if I have other homes too." Pug raised an eyebrow.

"How did you come to live in the UK? What work do you do here?"

"Well, eventually, the steam services weren't making enough money and I found myself trapped in the shed on a reasonably often basis. Sir Topham Hatt caught word and he, my manager, and the manager of the railway network here all coordinated: Mr. Hideki sold me to the North Western, which I am technically owned by and get repairs done on, but I usually answer to the head of the UK Network instead, pulling trains all across the country. It's good to do hard work again rather than just be a tourist attraction, and I'm happy to have been given a second chance." Pug's eyes widened.

"Wow, what an amazing story." He remarked. Hiro chuckled.

"I don't think so, but believe what you will." Pug chuckled back.

"Are you visiting Japan again, or any other exciting plans, anytime soon?" Hiro chuckled.

"I'd love to get the opportunity to visit my homeland again, but I currently have no near-future plans to do so. Something may come up serendipitously, though." Pug grinned.

"Excellent. Well, thank you for your time, Hiro, and tune in again soon, audience, to see another exclusive interview with a contestant of the Great Railway Show." Hiro smiled at the camera warmly again as the interview ended.

* * *

 **THE GREAT RACE: GORDON/SHOOTING STAR OF SODOR**

"Welcome back to another exclusive interview with a contestant of this year's Great Railway Show. Here, competing in the Great Race on behalf of Sodor, is Gord-"

"Shooting Star."

"Come again?" Pug raised an eyebrow at the streamlined engine, who was currently giving him an unamused glare.

"My name is Shooting Star." Pug gave a deadpan glance to the camera before looking back to his interviewee.

"Mate, no, it isn't. Not only does it say in my notes that your name is Gordon, but we've also literally met before. Who are you trying to fool?" The engine formerly known as Gordon rolled his eyes.

"Leave it to a tank engine to not understand...it's the name I'm competing under! When I'm streamlined, that is my name." Pug was about to retort when Albert cleared his throat and mouthed a message to the tank engine.

"Are you serious?"

"Mmhmm." Pug grit his teeth.

"Fine. So, Shooting Star, you are competing against your brother, the famous Flying Scotsman, in this event; how does that feel?" Shooting Star snorted indignantly.

"Like I'm going to win. Can we not talk about my brother? This interview is supposed to be about me, not him!" Pug raised an eyebrow.

"Touchy subject…" He muttered under his breath before continuing.

"Anyway, Gor-Shooting Star, why not tell the viewers at home what you do when you aren't competing here?" The streamlined Sudrian glared at Pug for forgetting his name, but spoke anyway.

"Well, I pull the Express, for starters. Of course, I would be the only engine for the job; I am the fastest and the best." He grinned proudly. Pug smirked to himself.

"So you're faster than your brother then?"

"YES!" Shooting Star snapped angrily. Pug chuckled.

"Just checking. Now, I can't help but notice that you have streamlined yourself for the show; why?" Shooting Star growled.

"Because I want to win. Why are you being so nosy?" He complained. Pug raised an eyebrow.

"It's my job, mate. Why are you being so snappy?" The larger engine rolled his eyes.

"It's too hot…" He grumbled.

"Actually, this is the coldest it's been all week." Pug corrected him. Shooting Star's eye twitched. The saddletank continued.

"So, Gordon-"

"UGH!"

"Shooting Star, what are your plans for after the show?" The big engine smirked.

"Seeing the look on my brother's stupid face when I win." Pug raised an eyebrow.

"Alrighty then. Well, that's all the time we have with-" Pug coughed loudly, which sounded an awful lot like "Gordon". The engine in question raised an eyebrow.

"What did you say?"

"Shooting Star, obviously. Join us again soon for coverage of the Great Railway Show!" Shooting Star glared at Pug suspiciously as the saddletank whistled innocently to himself.

* * *

 **?: PHILIP OF SODOR**

"Hum, hum, hum…" Albert sat at the water tower, getting a long drink before going to film the Strength Competition, humming a song to himself. However, he suddenly heard a shrill voice call out above the Railway Show.

"Gordon? Gordon! Gordon, where are you?" Suddenly, a force rammed into Albert's camera truck, and the tank engine was sent flying back into the buffers. Meanwhile, the object that hit Albert moved onwards with the camera truck, and looked up into the lens.

"Oh, wow! A camera! I wonder if it's on...hello!" The boxcab yelled into the camera, far too close to the lens. The little engine grinned.

"I'm Philip! P-H-I-L-I-P! I'm very fast, and I wanted to come here, and now I'm here! Yay!" Suddenly, a loud horn sounded out from behind the camera, and Philip clearly swerved across a junction as a diesel shunter rolled by.

"Watch it!"

"Sorry! But I'm not here to compete; I'm here on a very important mission! My friend, Gordon, left his safety valve back on Sodor and I was assigned to bring it to him! It's very important that I find him, but I don't know where he is…" Philip's eyes darted around, trying to find Gordon.

"This yard is so much bigger than the one I live in back on Sodor...I don't know how I would be able to shunt trucks here without getting lost! I've never seen so many engines in one place before!" Suddenly, he heard a whistle and gasped.

"Oh no!" Philip and the camera swerved onto a siding, as he passed a very annoyed steam engine.

"Watch the crown!" He snapped. Philip winced.

"Sorry! Now, where is Gord-WHOA!" The camera jerked as Philip collided with the buffers, and the truck toppled onto its side. The boxcab winced at the cracked lens, which now looked up at him from the side of the line.

"Oops. Well, that was fun, but I have to go find Gordon now! Bye!" Philip honked his horn and reversed away, calling out Gordon's name loudly all over again. Some time passed, and Albert finally puffed up, having found the camera. He took one look at the cracked lens and gave a long nasal sigh.

"B-" The camera died.

* * *

 **Chase:** Well, this has certainly been a really fun project for me to do. Working with Don has always been a blast, and getting to try and rescue the well of lost potential that was the original special was a really fun, daunting task that I think would have been far more difficult and not nearly as enjoyable without his help. I wrote the interviews in an effort to make every single international character feel like their own personality, and some were more difficult to write than others (trying to write the Hiro interview delayed the story finishing by about a week) but I really enjoyed fleshing out this world. Giving Jinty and Pug a presence in these was fun too, as we decided to develop the internationals through not only giving them more lines in the special proper, but also by doing these interviews as our version of the "Great Railway Show" segments on the official YouTube channel. This project was an absolute blast and I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as we both enjoyed writing it.

 **Don:** Well, folks, at last, this story has drawn to a close. It's been a blast working with Chase on this thing for the past couple of years. Yes, seriously, we first started coming up with the idea back in May 2017. Time flies, doesn't it? I really hope it's been worth the wait, though, and that you've all had fun reading it. Thanks for sticking with us throughout all the waits. Rest assured, both of us have big things planned in the works, so stay tuned for that!

Read both of our upcoming projects as soon as they're out, and thank you all so much for continuing to support our work!

\- Chase & Don


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